Poison
by Miss FairyTales
Summary: Mal has landed in the hospital under some mysterious conditions. It is now up to her friends to find out the cause and who is responsible. Can they save their friend in time, or will it be too late? (Rated T just in case). References to Maleficent 2014.
1. Chapter 1

That morning found Ben in a meeting with the sidekicks. He had already had three in that morning alone. His schedule had been filling up lately, so he couldn't spend as much time with his girlfriend and their friends as he would like. That's why, his friends were all out and having a good time without him. He had planned on tagging along, in fact he had made the plans himself. But some last minute meetings had popped up that Ben couldn't get out of. No matter how much he tried. As the sidekicks argued amongst themselves, Ben took the time to think.

It had been a year since Mal had joined the court as his lady. Auradon had really warmed up to her, and, as he promised, they loved her. He couldn't be happier. Actually, no, that's a lie. He would be much happier if he wasn't stuck in yet another pointless meeting with the sidekicks. They came to him at least once every few months with a new problem that they need to be solved. And it could ' _only be solved by the King'_. Their words not his.

Ben sighed as he returned his attention to the meeting. "Can everyone please just calm down!" At his words, the room immediately quieted and the corner of his lips turned slightly upward. "Thank you. Now, what is the issue here?"

"The issue, your highness, is them," Gus, one of the mice that had helped Cinderella, pointed an accusing finger in the direction of the dwarves. "We had an agreement. They would give us their best jewel each month, and would repair the holes in their clothes for them."

"Okay," Ben said slowly. "So, what is the problem?"

"Instead of giving us their best jewel, their giving us a crappy one!" Gus tossed a gem on the table. It rolled around before landing in front of Ben. In his opinion, it definitely was _not_ crappy. It wasn't too big, but it shone brighter than some of the jewels that even Audrey owned. "How are we supposed to pay for our cheese with this?!" _Cheese? Cheese!_ This was all about cheese. Ben blew off his friends for _cheese!_ He took a deep breath. It was all he could do to not yell at anyone.

"Oh come on! This would get you enough cheese for thirty lifetimes! That's the best one that we have this month!" Grumpy shouted. He obviously didn't care about whether he yelled or not.

"Our mine is running dry. Until we start a new one, they gems aren't going to get much bigger," Doc explained calmly to Ben.

"How long would it take for you to finish your current mine and start a new one?" The young king asked before the room could erupt in argument again.

"About a few months," Doc replied. To Ben, the answer was simple and obvious. He didn't understand why they needed to interrupt his day with such a trivial thing like this.

"Okay, then. There's the answer," Ben proclaimed as everyone looked at him, slightly confused. He sighed once again. "Simply deal with the gems for now. If they don't improve in a few months, then we'll sort something out." The mice huffed in annoyance, but they nodded nonetheless. "Okay, anyone have anything else?" One of Ariel's sisters, he could never remember which one was which, was about to say something when the doors burst open. Ben turned abruptly in his chair to see what all the commotion was about. He saw a frantic looking Evie standing in the doorway. Jay and Doug were holding off a couple of guards behind her. They stopped when they noticed that Evie had already reach the King.

"We're sorry for the interruption your majesty," They both bowed. "We tried to stop them, but they wouldn't leave." He angrily glanced in Jay and Doug's direction. Ben simply waved to let them know that it was fine.

Jay narrowed his eyes and growled. "Not when someone's life is on the line!" _Someone's life was on the line?_ Wow, he had only been gone for a few hours. How much had he missed?" The guards were about to say something else, but Evie didn't give him the chance.

"It's Mal. She's in the hospital. We need to go now!" Evie managed to get out. Ben didn't hesitate. He immediately stood up and ran out of the room, his friends were right behind him. As he ran through the halls of Castle Beast, her texted his parents to notify them of the situation. They agreed to manage the kingdom for the day, or until he was ready to resume his duties. He didn't stop until he had made it inside the royal limo, which was already waiting outside for them. As soon as Jay closed the door, Ben told the driver to head to the hospital, and to be quick about it. He wanted to get there, and he wanted to get there now. He couldn't bear the thought of Mal being in the hospital. He was worried if she just got a paper cut. Knowing that she was in the hospital made him anxious. He was beyond nervous. He was beyond scared. He was beyond worried.

"What happened to her?" Ben asked quietly as they sped off towards the hospital.

"Food poisoning," Jay muttered in a way that caused Ben to believe that it wasn't the whole story. But he didn't push it any further. He knew that they were just as worried as he was. Evie looked like she was on the verge of tears. Like she was about to fall apart at any second. She leaned into Doug as he sat there, rubbing circles into her back to comfort her.

The rest of the drive was silent. No one really wanted to say anything. No one really knew _what_ to say. Ben knew that his friends were keeping something from him, but he didn't know what. A classic case of food poisoning wouldn't cause this much panic. He was sure that they had to have seen food poisoning on the Isle. It wasn't uncommon, even in Auradon. He wasn't worried about it though, because he knew that, whatever it was, he would find out soon enough.

Once they arrived at the hospital, there was a small swarm of paparazzi fighting to get inside. There was also a police barricade, blocking them off.

' _So they already know that's she in there.'_ Ben thought to himself as the limo came to a stop. One glance at the royal limo, and the paparazzi started to gather around the car. The police pushed off the reporters as best as they could while King Ben his friends made their way inside.

Inside was just as chaotic as outside. The waiting room was practically full. Nurses and doctors were rushing in and out with frantic looks on their faces. They nodded to Ben when they passed him to show their respect. He didn't mind that they hadn't stopped to bow or curtsy. He could tell that whatever they were dealing with was quite urgent. He simply nodded in response. But, he didn't understand why the waiting room was full of people. Full of annoyed people. He walked up to the receptionist who looked frazzled.

"Excuse me, miss," Ben greeted as the woman looked up at him. Her eyes widened.

"King Ben!"

"Yes. Um, can you possibly tell me what is going on here?" He inquired calmly as Evie, Jay, and Doug stood impatiently behind him.

"What do you mean, your majesty?" She asked.

"Well, the staff seems frantic and there are a lot of patients just sitting around waiting for some help," Ben elaborated. "What is everyone so riled up about?" The receptionist looked at him as if he grown a second head.

"They haven't told you yet?!" She exclaimed as she glanced back at the three teens behind him.

"Told me what?" Ben asked his friends more than the receptionist as they all looked at the floor. None of them meeting his gaze.

"Lady Mal was admitted to the hospital not too long ago. She was in extreme pain. All of the doctors have been trying to help her. They say it's a life or death situation," She explained quietly as Ben's eyes narrowed.

"Life or death situation," Ben repeated as the receptionist nodded grimly. The other teens still would not make eye contact with him. They kept their heads hung low. He turned to face her fully. "Where can I find her?"

"Room 411," She stated as she pointed to the elevator. "On the fourth floor." Ben nodded and thanked the woman as he took off towards the elevator. The others not far behind.

Once they were all inside, Ben decided to speak. "You told me she had food poisoning."

"Technically, she does," Doug replied weakly.

"But that's not all, is it?"

"Unfortunately not," Jay answered with a murderous look in his eyes.

"And the others, are they already here?" Ben questioned as his friends nodded.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. After what seemed like forever, it finally opened. Ben almost wished that it hadn't. Once it did, he could hear screams that would make the blood from even the coldest, darkest heart curdle. He knew they were Mal's screams. His heart broke. He saw more doctors and nurses rushing around, looking over papers, talking to one another, looking for some kind of cure. Ben rushed past all of them and headed to room 411. The screams were getting louder and louder the farther he went. He noticed that all of the other rooms were empty, the only room that was occupied was 411. The room that Mal was in. The room where the screams were originating from. He placed his hand on the knob. He slowly twisted the knob and opened the door. The first thing that he saw was Carlos, Jane, Lonnie, and Audrey standing off to the side. Then, he saw Mal laying on the hospital bed. The sight broke his already broken heart. Her eyes were shut tightly, she was tossing and turning, kicking and screaming. She also had a cuff on each arm. He immediately noticed it because when she left, she didn't have them on. They were thick, long, and made of some kind of metal.

"What are those, things, on her arms?" Ben asked quietly as he entered the room. Jane jumped slightly, startled at Ben's sudden presence.

"Ben," Audrey said silently.

"They're iron shackles," Lonnie stated grimly as Jay, Evie, and Doug joined the others in the corner.

"Okay," Ben said simply, putting the conversation on hold. He walked over to Mal's side and gently took her hand in his. Her eyes shot open immediately. They were glowing an intense green, but there was fear and pain evident in them. He gently played with a strand of her hair. "I'm sorry, Mal. I should have been there with you," Ben whispered in her ear as she held back a scream. She quickly shook her head, trying to reassure her boyfriend that it wasn't his fault. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead as he stood up. He gestured for the others to follow him as he left the room and headed towards a conference room. It was a little ways away from Mal's room, so the screams wouldn't be so loud. Ben sat down, and the others followed his lead, knowing that he wanted to know everything.

"Can someone tell me exactly what happened?" Ben said slowly. He was trying his best not to break down, but Mal's current state was making it extremely difficult. He had to be strong for everyone. For Mal. None answered him. He sighed. "Food poisoning?" He tried again. He wanted answers. He needed answers. They couldn't just expect him to sit around and do nothing while the love of his life was in so much pain.

"Somehow iron got into her system. None of know how it happened. One minute she was fine, the next minute she was…" Carlos trailed off as he put his head in his hands. Jane place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Iron burns fairies of her kind. In some cases, it can be lethal," Jane explained before Ben could ask about it.

"Okay, so what happened the last time you saw her?"

"Well…" Jay began as recounted the events of earlier that day.

" _ **We have to stop by the new cupcake place!" Audrey exclaimed as she pointed out the shop from across the street. "Everyone says it so good!"**_

" _ **Alright, let's go," Mal stated as the group made their way to the small bakery. They all ordered one and headed back out. They sat down at a table to enjoy their treats.**_

" _ **Mm. These are good," Carlos hummed as his friends laughed. "What?"**_

" _ **You have a little something on your lip," Jane stated as she grabbed a napkin to help him.**_

" _ **Thanks," Carlos thanked as Jane nodded her response.**_

" _ **I think I'll go grab some for Ben, Belle, and Adam," Mal stated as she stood.**_

" _ **I'll go with you," Audrey offered. "I'm sure my parents and grandparents would love these as well." Mal shared a smile with the princess. It had been a couple years since Ben's proclamation. Aurora and Phillip had welcomed Mal with open arms. Even Queen Leah had apologized for her over reaction at Family Day. Mal considered them as family.**_

" _ **Let's go then," Mal and Audrey linked arms as they headed back inside. After a minute or two, Audrey came back out with a box of cupcakes, but no Mal.**_

" _ **Where's Mal?" Evie asked, her tone worried.**_

" _ **Mal ordered custom cupcakes. The baker said that it would take a few minutes. She told me to wait outside," Audrey explained as she sat down. The others nodded. They all waited for their purple haired friend to return as they made small talk. They don't know how much time had passed when they heard a couple loud crashes and a scream. The scream belonged to a female. It belonged to Mal.**_

" _ **Mal!" They all shouted as the jumped up from the chairs and ran into the bakery. The place looked like a bomb had gone off. Mal was cowering in a corner, iron shackles on her arms. She let out screams of pain.**_

" _ **Let's check the area. Whoever did this couldn't have gotten very far," Jay said to Carlos and Lonnie. They nodded before running off. Doug and Evie knelt down next to Mal. Evie tried to soothe her best friend while Doug inspected her. Jane and Audrey held onto each other, not sure of what to do.**_

" _ **If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's the shackles that's causing all the pain," Doug stated.**_

" _ **Are they iron?" Jane asked timidly.**_

 _ **Doug inspected the metal shackles a little more closely. "Yeah. How did you know?"**_

" _ **Mother told me once that all fairies have certain weaknesses. Some fairies from the moors are burned when they come in contact with iron," Jane explained.**_

" _ **My grandmother used to tell me that after Maleficent cursed my mother, my grandfather order that all of their weapons and armor be made from iron," Audrey recalled as Mal let out another scream.**_

" _ **No sign of anyone. Not even the staff," Jay informed as he, Lonnie, and Carlos returned.**_

" _ **Yeah, everything's been abandoned," Carlos added.**_

" _ **It looks like they left in a hurry," Lonnie said as glanced around the shop. "But why?"**_

" _ **That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that we get Mal some help," Evie said sternly. Audrey immediately pulled out her phone and dialed two numbers. The first was an ambulance. The second was the royal limo driver that Ben had sent with them.**_

" _ **Alright, here's what going to happen," Audrey began as everyone turned to look at her. She tried to ignore Mal's screams as best as she could. "Some of us will accompany Mal to the hospital while the others go and get Ben. I say Jay definitely has to be one of the ones to go and get Ben."**_

" _ **Like hell I am!" He yelled as Lonnie tried to keep him calm. "I'm staying with Mal!"**_

" _ **I know you want to stay with her, Jay, but the guards aren't going to let us see Ben while he's in a meeting. We need someone to keep them busy while someone else gets Ben," Audrey explained patiently as Jay scowled.**_

" _ **Fine," He huffed in anger.**_

" _ **Doug and I will go with him," Evie volunteered as Doug nodded in agreement.**_

" _ **Alright, then it's settled," Audrey concluded as sirens could be heard in the distance.**_

"… and now we're here," Jay finished as Ben nodded.

"Why can't you just take the shackles off?" Ben asked. He had been thinking that since he saw them.

"Mother says their enchanted. If you try to take them off they'll zap you and then increase the level of pain," Jane stated as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Ben, I'm sorry," Audrey whispered as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "If I had just stayed with her, none of this would be happening."

"You don't know that Audrey," Ben said softly as he moved to Audrey's side. "You could have gotten hurt as well. Then, we would have an even bigger problem. It's not your fault." He wrapped her in a hug.

"So what do we do know?" Lonnie asked.

"We find whoever is responsible and we make them undo this," Ben said firmly, leaving no room or any arguing.

* * *

 **Hello guys and gals! How is everyone? So, this is a new story. It should only be a few chapters long. I am currently working on the sequel to 'The Lost Princess' and the next chapter for everything else. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Please leave your thoughts or any suggestions in a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Audrey was sat in the conference room with her friends. They were all slowly losing hope and ideas. A typical conversation from the last half of an hour went something like this.

 _Someone would suggest something: "How about…" or "What if we…"_

 _Someone would answer with: "No!" or "Are you stupid?!" or maybe even "You're joking, right?"_

 _Then someone would say: "Do you have any better ideas?!"_

All of the arguing was really starting to wear her down. But she refused to quit. She couldn't quit. Mal wouldn't quit on her, so she wouldn't quit on Mal. Besides, she considered Mal to be sort of like an aunt or a sister. She knows it's weird, but her mother, Aurora, saw Maleficent as a sort of Fairy Godmother. So, she considered Mal to be like her unofficial little sister. Just like how Cinderella saw Jane kind of like a little sister. Leah and Phillip didn't mind, but her grandfather Stephen, had yet to comment on the whole thing. He had been out on a business trip for a little while, but he would be returning in the next few days.

She also thought of Evie as a sister. Besides Lonnie and Jane, she never really had such close girlfriends. Obviously, she had other female friends, but none were as close as her four new besties.

"We aren't cutting Mal's arms off!" Ben and Jay were yelling. Evie had a horrified expression on her face. Audrey sighed. She hadn't really been paying attention, so she hadn't realized that her friends had gotten into another argument.

"ENOUGH!" Audrey yelled after a few more minutes of listening to their fighting. She stood abruptly, her chair scraped against the tile floor. Everyone stopped and stared at her. "All of this fighting is not going to help Mal." As if on cue, a particularly loud scream was heard. Causing everyone to bow their heads in shame.

"You're right, Audrey," Ben whispered.

"Listen, obviously, there's nothing we can do to Mal to help her. We need to find out who did this to her if we want to have any chance of helping her before…" She stopped. She couldn't finish the sentence. She fell back into her seat. Her previous confidence and energy fading away. Ben placed a reassuring hand on hers.

"Where do we even start? There was nothing in the bakery," Lonnie stated, her head still low.

"Maybe we just weren't looking for the right thing," Carlos said as Jay gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?" Jay finally asked.

"Think about it. We were looking for someone, not something. We weren't paying attention to the little details," Carlos explained as Jay nodded.

"I think I get what you're saying now," Jay started. "So, some of us should go back to take a closer look at the scene."

"Okay. So, who's going? And what are the others going to do in the meantime?" Ben asked, not moving his hand. He started to rub small circles on Audrey's shoulder to help her stay calm.

"Maybe we can talk to witnesses or maybe do some research or something," Jane suggested, already knowing that she wasn't going to be one of the ones at the crime scene.

"Ben do you think your mother's library would have any useful information that we can use?" Audrey asked the young king. He took a moment to think about it.

"Maybe," He replied as he pulled out his phone. "I can text mom and tell her to expect us. Then she'll be able to help us look for information."

"Us?" Jane questioned. "You aren't going to the bakery?"

"I'd rather not," Ben gave her a sad smile. Basically saying that he didn't want to visit the place where his girlfriend had been attacked. Audrey couldn't blame him. She didn't want to go back either. Not that she would be particularly useful.

"Okay, so do we all know where we're going?" Doug quizzed and everyone nodded.

"We can drop those who are going to the bakery off on our way back to the castle," Ben informed as they all made their way out of the hospital. The screams from earlier were almost nonexistent. Audrey assumed that the doctors put Mal on some kind of medication. She just hoped that it wouldn't wear off any time soon.

"Do you guys mind if I stop by Mal's room before we go?" Audrey asked in a small voice. Her friends shook their heads. They understood. They all knew how close she and Mal had gotten.

Audrey broke off from the group as they reached room 411. She had her hand on the door knob and was about to walk in.

"We'll wait out here for you," Evie said quietly as she leaned into Doug. Audrey simply nodded as she disappeared inside of the room. The door closed behind her. She slowly walked to Mal's side. The girl was much quieter and relaxed than she had been earlier. She wasn't kicking or tossing or turning. She just lay there, looking up at the ceiling. Audrey could tell that she was running out of energy.

"Mal?" Audrey asked in a whisper. Mal slowly turned her head to face the brunette princess. The look of pain she wore was clear as day. "Are you okay?" Audrey knew that was a dumb question. Obviously Mal was not okay. But she didn't know what else to say. Mal simply rolled her glowing green eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm fine," She responded. It was the first thing she had said since she's been in the hospital. "These doctors don't play around when it comes to pain killers." They shared a small chuckle.

"Do you…" Audrey paused. Not sure if her question was appropriate to ask. "Do you remember who did this to you?" Mal looked up at the ceiling, thinking.

"I didn't really get a good look, but I know for sure it was a male." Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming. Audrey immediately handed her the cup of water that had been sitting on the table next to her. Mal nodded her thanks as she took a sip.

"I want you to know that we're doing everything that we can to help you," Audrey stated, hoping it would make the purple haired teen feel a little bit better. Mal looked over in Audrey's direction once again.

"Thank you," Mal thanked. "Tell the others that for me?" Audrey quickly nodded. Their friends would need to hear that. They needed some positive motivation. Audrey turned to leave when Mal decided to say something more.

"He had a rose tattoo."

"What?"

"The man, he had a large rose tattoo on his arm," Mal elaborated as she lifted her own arm to indicate where.

"Oh," Audrey stated. Then, she noticed something, something odd. One of the shackles had a small rose on it as well. Mal noticed her staring and looked as well.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say whoever this guys is, is from your kingdom or Ben's," Mal said quietly and slowly, not wanting to offend anyone. The brunette princess met her gaze. She understood what Mal was saying. The rose was a big symbol for both her kingdom and Ben's. Her mother's nickname was Briar Rose, and King Adam had an enchanted rose while he was a beast.

"I really hope not," Audrey managed to croak out. "May I take a picture?" Mal nodded as Audrey pulled out her phone. She snapped a quick picture before saying her goodbyes. She was deep in thought when she exited the room. She almost walked into someone. "Oh, sorry."

"Audrey, are you okay?" Evie asked, worry laced in her voice. "Is Mal alright?"

"Huh?" Audrey said, finally looking up. "Oh, yeah. She's okay. Well, not okay, but… Anyways, she wanted me to tell you all thanks."

"Thanks? Thanks for what?" Carlos asked curiously. They hadn't really done anything helpful, as far as he knew.

"Thanks for trying."

With that, the 8 friends made their way down to the lobby in silence. There were a few less patients waiting then before, but it was still a lot. The limo ride was silent as well. No one really knew what to say at a time like this. They were all cuddling with their significant other. Jane was with Carlos. Lonnie was with Jay. Evie was with Doug. Everyone had someone except for Audrey and Ben.

Audrey, knowing how much Mal meant to her mother, decided to tell her what was going on. Aurora said that she would meet them at Castle Beast to help. Audrey knew there was no negotiating this. Besides, having an extra pair of eyes would definitely help. Audrey decided that it would be best to share the news of the rose before they were all split up.

"Guys," Audrey began, gaining everyone's attention. "I have something to tell you all." They remained silent, meaning she could continue. She made it a point to keep her gaze down, and to not look at Ben. "While I was talking with Mal, I… I discovered something."

"What?" Jay asked.

"She said that it was a man who… attacked her. A man that had a large rose tattoo on his arm," She described and demonstrated just like Mal had. "But, that's not all. There was also a small rose on one of the shackles. She let me take a picture." Audrey passed her phone around the group of friends. Once it found its way back into her hands, she continued. "She…" She paused. "We," She corrected herself, "believe that whoever did this is from either the Sleeping Kingdom or Auradon."

 **[**A/N: Okay, so the Sleeping Kingdom is the name of Aurora's kingdom from Chris Colfer's book series 'The Land of Stories'. I recommend reading it. It's really good. He didn't have Belle in his books, so for now I'm going to call their kingdom Auradon. All of the kingdoms put together will be the United States of Auradon, or the United Kingdoms of Auradon. Let me know what you think.**]**

"Why would you think that?" Ben asked quietly. Audrey refused to look at him.

"Think about it, Ben. The rose is such a big symbol for both of our kingdoms. It can't be random. Besides, the people of both of our kingdoms have a motive," She tried to explain it to the young king without offending him, but she knew he wouldn't take it well. He had too much faith in people. In _his_ people. She didn't want to believe it either. But until they had more evidence, she didn't know what else it could be.

"What would that motive be, Audrey?" There was a small growl behind his words. If you didn't know him as well as she did, you wouldn't have been able to hear it. The silence in the car only made it louder.

"Well, she is your girlfriend. While many people… the majority of people have accepted her, there are probably still some who don't. They wouldn't want someone from the Isle to be their next queen. Much like how people didn't want your mother to be the queen either," Audrey said in almost a whisper. She didn't want to offend him, but sometimes she just wished that he would just open his eyes and see things as they really are, for once.

Ben remained silent for a minute. He wasn't sure how to respond to what Audrey was saying. "So what are you saying, exactly?" He wanted clarification.

Audrey sighed. "I'm saying, that you can't please everyone, Ben. Not everyone is going to like everything you say or do. Not everyone is going to agree with your choices. That's their opinion. It comes with the territory of being King, of being in the spotlight. That's just how the world works, Ben. Some people are closed minded and full of hatred, others aren't. Some people aren't as good as you would like to believe." Ben had this perfect little world in his head, and sometimes it annoyed Audrey to no end. Yes, it was nice that he saw the good and believed in everyone. But, sometimes, there isn't any good in people. Some people don't deserve to have Ben's trust. Ben's faith. This man that they were searching for, is one of those people.

"I see," Ben said simply, ending the conversation. Obviously, he didn't want to admit that one of his subjects, or Audrey's soon to be subjects, could have done something like this to the love of his life. But, he couldn't deny that Audrey was right. He was too big of a coincidence for it to be unintentional. "Let's just keep this between the 8 of us for now, okay? If word got out about any of this, _all_ of the kingdoms would be in a panic. If anyone asks, only give out the bare minimum." Everyone nodded their agreement. They didn't need their target getting word that they were on to him. If he did, then they would never be able to find him.

* * *

 **Here is a double update for you guys and gals! So many people are already loving this story. It has grown so quickly! So I just figured I would throw out another chapter right after. Don't get too used to it! Anyway. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed. Thanks for just reading. This really means a lot.**

 **I want to thank danifan3000 for suggesting that Mal and Aurora are kind of like sisters (because of Maleficent 2014)**

 **Please do let me know what you think about the kingdom names.**


	3. Chapter 3

The royal limo slowly pulled to a stop outside of Castle Beast. Carlos, Jay, Aziz, and Lonnie had been dropped off at the bakery already. Jay had grown fond of the son of the heroes to his father's story. He texted Aziz and asked for some assistance. They needed another more pairs of eyes to help them look for clues.

Naturally, Ben and Audrey had asked Chad to help. Ben being his best friend, and Audrey being his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the blond prince was on an important business trip with his parents. Even if he did try to join his friends, he wouldn't make it in time. The whole situation made him sick to his stomach, to say the least. Chad, like Audrey and Leah, had apologized for his rude behavior and his ignorance. He and Mal had really bonded because of their stubborn, competitive nature. He thought of her as the best friend he never wanted, but the one that he was lucky enough to have.

Without her boyfriend by her side, Audrey was a little bit of a wreck. She was just glad that she had Ben and the rest of her friends by her side during this crisis. Chad, however, did wish his friends the best of luck and asked Ben to relay a message to Mal and sent a message to Audrey himself. The message to Mal: _I hope you get better and I hope they punish the douche who did this to you. When I see you again, you better be at your best. I want to beat you fair and square in our next competition._ The message to Audrey: _Hang in there, babe. I wish I was there with you, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you._ He felt even worse about not being able to be there to comfort Audrey. He knew how much she was hurting. Mal was part of her family.

Belle, Adam, Aurora, and Fairy Godmother were waiting at the top of the steps. Just like Audrey, Ben and Jane had decided to tell their parents about the recent events. They only gave the bare minimum. After all, they had all promised to keep the specifics to themselves for the time being. They would eventually tell their parents everything, but it wasn't the right time, and they certainly couldn't do it over the phone. You never know who might be listening.

The teens slowly made their way out and trudged up what seemed like the never ending stair case. Once at the top, Aurora embraced her daughter immediately, already seeing the tears that Audrey was fighting to hold back. Fairy Godmother gave Jane and Doug a soothing hug, she liked to think that she was like a second, or in some cases a third, mother to all of her students. Adam and Belle wrapped Ben and Evie in their arms as Evie let a few tears roll down her cheeks. Belle gently brushed them away.

"Thank you," Evie mumbled quietly, enjoying having a motherly figure who was like an _actual_ mother. It's not that Grimhilde, the Evil Queen, treated her badly. Well, not as bad as the others. It was just that, the villainous queen was more obsessed with Evie's _looks_ than Evie herself.

"Don't worry about it, dear," Belle reassured as she wrapped Evie in another hug. Once she had gotten to know the Isle children better, she took them in and considered them as her own. She knew that Adam did as well. They were the type of kids that she always dreamed about having. Don't get her wrong, she loved Ben with all of her heart. But, a girl can dream, can't she? "Have you talked to Snow yet?" Evie gently shook her head.

Recently, Evie had met her step sister and her family, with much encouragement from Mal. She hadn't made up her mind about the young queen just yet. Snow White was so different from all of the stories that her mother had told her. She wasn't a spoiled brat like her mother had always said. She wasn't rude or impolite. She was really nice and welcoming, and hardly ever seen without her smile. She had even offered Evie an official title as princess of the Northern Kingdom, seeing as her mother was the queen and they were sisters. **(Again, name of kingdom from The Land of Stories)**. She was torn between whether she should include Snow White, or not.

' _Mal would know what to do. She always knows what to do_ ,' Evie thought to herself. She had never been in this position before. Mal had always been the strongest one out of their group. Maybe not physically, that title went to Jay, but definitely emotionally. Even when Maleficent was… more harsh than usual, she never let that stop her. She never even looked fazed. You wouldn't have been able to tell that something was wrong if it weren't for the marks that Maleficent would leave behind. Mal was always there when she or one of the boys got hurt or into any trouble. She was always there when they needed a place to crash because their parents had kicked them out or were being more overbearing than ususal. She always had a plan. She always knew how to help them and make them feel better. Now, she was the one who needed help. Evie would do everything in her power to make sure that Mal came out of this alive and well. She was _not_ planning on losing a sister today or any day in the near future. Not when she still had Mal's wedding, baby shower, and many, many birthdays and other events to plan.

Belle ushered everyone inside and led them all to her library. As she walked by the kitchen, she popped her head in for a moment and requested that Mrs. Potts bring the group some hot chocolate and cookies. She hoped that it would lift everyone's spirits at least a fraction. She couldn't stand to see all of these young teens in such despair. In the library, Doug and Evie immediately went to start their research, but Belle stopped them. They gave her quizzical looks.

"Not until you've had a snack," She said gently as the couple reluctantly returned to the group. They all sat down in the seating area that Belle had had installed a few years back. There were many comfortable sofas, armchairs, bean bags, and a few coffee tables.

"Can someone please explain how this happened?" Fairy Godmother asked as Mrs. Potts set down a tray with mugs and a plate with a variety of cookies.

The five teens looked around at each other.

"Well," Jane began quietly as she grabbed a light blue mug. "Audrey, Evie, Mal, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, Doug, and I were hanging out and we stopped to get some food. Mal and Audrey went back to get some more treats for you guys, Queen Aurora, Queen Belle, Ben and King Adam, as well as King Phillip, Queen Leah, and King Stephen. After a few minutes, Audrey came back, but Mal didn't. After waiting a little longer, we heard some noises coming from inside and Mal screaming, so we all rushed in. The place was trashed and the only one in there was Mal. She had iron shackles on her arms, and somehow, she ingested some iron as well." The royals felt guilty. She had gone to get something for them, that's why this happened to her.

"Please, Jane. You know you don't have to be so formal when it's just us," Belle said kindly as Jane nodded sheepishly. She still hadn't made much progress on her shyness.

"If I learned anything from my past with Maleficent, iron burns fairies of her kind and is potentially lethal," Aurora thought out loud, not waiting for anyone to explain it. She already knew. She had watched as her father's soldiers attacked Maleficent with iron weapons, iron shields, and iron chains. Adam and Belle's eyes grew slightly larger. They hadn't known that. Then again, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos weren't really big on sharing. But they wished they had known that certain objects around their castle could have seriously harmed Mal. They were just glad that she hadn't stumbled upon the armor room. At least, they didn't think that she had. It was filled with multiple suits of armor and weapons, from the past and the present. Most of the items in there were made from iron.

"I should have stayed with her," Audrey scolded herself once again as Ben place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"There's nothing you could have done, Audrey," Ben stated quietly as Aurora wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"You don't know that, Ben!" Audrey cried as she leaned into her mother's side.

"Okay," Fairy Godmother said, trying to get back on topic. "Anything else?" Jane, Evie, Doug, and Ben all looked at each other. They know what they promised, but was it really necessary right now? The girls were pleading with their eyes to just tell the adults already. How much harm could it actually do? Ben sighed in defeat.

"Ben, you said…" Doug began, but Ben cut him off.

"I know what I said, Doug. But, we're in a safe place, and these are our parents we're talking about." Ben hated lying to his parents. He hated the idea of lying in general. Withholding and twisting information on purpose, Ben never really understood it. In certain situations, yes. But not when a lie meant the difference between life and death or peace and war. Doug only shrugged as he turned his attention back to the people in front of him.

The adults looked towards their children curiously. They had no idea what the boys were talking about. Did they want to know?

"We were in town at the new cupcake bakery," Audrey blurted. "That's where the others are now."

"Is that all?" Adam asked patiently.

"Not quite," Ben responded nervously. This was the part that he was worried about. He looked to the others, they nodded, letting him know that they were all in agreement. "We believe that there is a great possibility that whoever did this to Mal is from either Auradon or the Sleeping Kingdom."

 **(A/N: Someone has told me, TheGreatGodzilla, that the kingdoms could be named the Kingdom of Cornwall for Aurora's kingdom and Adam and Belle's kingdom would be in France.** _ **Obviously it would be in France**_ **, but it would just be the Kingdom of France. Let me know what you all think.)**

The three royals and Fairy Godmother looked absolutely shocked. They hadn't expected that.

"What made you come to such a conclusion?!" Adam demanded, but his tone wasn't harsh or angry. It was gentle and inquisitive. Ben gestured for Audrey to explain. After all, it was her and Mal that came up with the theory. He and the others simply agreed with it.

She nodded as she sat up straighter. "On our way out of the hospital, I stopped by Mal's room. I had asked her if she knew who did it. She said no, but she knew it was a male with a large tattoo of a rose on their arm. There was also a rose engraved on one of the shackles." She passed her phone around one again, so the adults could get a look at the picture that she had taken. "Mal was the one who suggested it, and I agree with her. _We all_ agree with her." Aurora nodded as she passed her daughter's phone along to Belle.

"I see what you're saying," She said simply as she put her arms back around Audrey.

"It's a possibility," Belle responded as Adam slowly nodded.

"We should start looking," Adam stated.

"But where do we even start?" Jane asked as she looked around the massive library.

"Well, if we're looking for someone from the kingdoms, then we should probably check the crime records. See if anything matches up," Belle instructed as she pointed out a section in the back of the library.

"Some of us should probably look for something to help Mal until the iron completely leaves her system," Fairy Godmother suggested as Evie and Audrey glanced at each other, coming to the same conclusion.

"Evie and I can do that," Audrey offered. "Evie is great at making potions and I did pretty well in chemistry." Fairy Godmother nodded.

"Medicines and potions will be over there," Belle pointed to another section as Audrey, Evie, and Fairy Godmother stood. The three of them headed over to the section Belle had pointed out while the others headed over to the area that housed 'Crime History'.

After hours of searching, they had looked through most of their designated areas. Both groups didn't find anything too useful. Audrey and Evie had found a few books that looked like they could help, but nothing more than that. Their morale was pretty low. They were all tired, hungry, and worried. Some of them were close to giving up. The updates from Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, and Aziz hadn't been much help. They hadn't found anything either. The bakery was so new, they hadn't had security cameras installed yet. They were sitting in a box in the storage closet.

"How about we all head over to Castle Beauty for dinner. Then, we can look through the library over there to see if we can find anything," Aurora offered as everyone nodded. They really didn't have any other options at this point.

"I'll text Jay and Carlos," Evie stated as she pulled out her phone. "We can pick them up on the way."

The group filed out of Castle Beast. Since they were such a large group, the adults took one car, and the teens took another. They all tried to prepare themselves for the long drive ahead. They just hoped that their search at the next destination wouldn't be as fruitless.

* * *

 **Hi guys and gals! I hoped you enjoyed that chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed, followed, or favorited. Thanks for just reading. If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know. Also, what do you guys think about the kingdom names? Should I change them, or just leave them as is?**


	4. Chapter 4

The drive to Aurora's kingdom was quiet and boring. No one really wanted to say anything. The only thing that _was_ said was an update from each group.

" _ **So, did you guys find anything important or useful?" Jane asked Carlos as he entered the limo. They had stopped to pick up Jay, Lonnie, Carlos, and Aziz on their way to the Sleeping Kingdom.**_

(I have decided that I will just use the names from 'The Land of Stories' in this story. I'll use the canon names or the more realistic names in another story.)

" _ **No. We didn't," Carlos replied regretfully as he took a seat next to Jane.**_

" _ **What about you guys?" Jay questioned as he and Lonnie took their seats. "Did you guys find anything?"**_

 _ **The five teens looked around at each other.**_

" _ **Well, we found some remedies to help with the iron in Mal's system, but that's all," Evie explained as Jay nodded grimly.**_

" _ **We're going to my home to see if we can find anything else," Audrey added as the car started moving.**_

" _ **Are we going to be eating as well?" Aziz quizzed. "Because I'm starving." The group of friends shared a laugh, but it didn't last long. The car was soon consumed with silence. Only the breathing of the 9 teens could be heard, and occasionally, the growl of Aziz's stomach.**_

As they pulled up to the castle, everyone filed out. Leah and Phillip were waiting at the top of the steps, like Belle, Adam, and Aurora had been doing. Audrey quickly bolted up the stairs and hugged her father and grandmother. The others were a bit slower.

"Where's Grampa?" Audrey asked as she hugged her grandmother. "I thought he was coming back today."

"He is dear. He just won't arrive until a little later," Leah answered as she hugged Audrey tightly. Phillip placed an arm around Aurora's shoulders as she reached the top. The royal family waited for their friends to join them before they said anymore.

"Dinner is ready," Phillip announced as they all headed inside. "Let's all eat. Then, you can head to the library."

"Finally! I'm…" Aziz began, but he was cut off by his friends.

"We know!" They all called out in unison. "You're starving!"

He had a big smile on his face. "You guys know me so well." He let a few imaginary tears fall down his cheeks as the group laughed. If he was trying to bring up the mood, it definitely worked. If only a little bit.

Walking through the halls, it was evident that Castle Beauty wasn't as big as Castle Beast. Well, Castle Beast does house Auradon's King and Queen, so it only makes sense that it's the biggest in the land. After only a few minutes of walking, the group arrived at the dining hall. There were silver plates in front of every seat. Everyone sat down. They ate and they talked. Mostly about school, tourney, and how the VKs were liking Auradon now. It has been a couple of years, but it never hurt to ask.

After about an hour, Ben was ready to start looking again. He didn't want to wait any longer than he had to. The image of Mal in that hospital bed made him want to work harder. He couldn't even imagine what she must be feeling. All he knew was that he didn't want her to go through any of that for much longer.

"Are we all finished?" Ben asked impatiently. He didn't care if it came off as being rude. He wanted to head to the library already. He would have gone by himself, but it's been a while since he's been in Castle Beauty, so he doesn't really know his way around anymore. He received a variation of yeses and head nods and confirming noises. "Then can we go?"

"Of course, King Ben," Phillip said politely, his tone was understanding, as he stood. Ben was about to say that titles weren't necessary, but Phillip didn't give him the chance. "Please follow me."

Everyone at the table then stood and followed the two kings out of the dining room and further down the hall. As the group neared the library, Audrey's phone started to buzz. She looked down to read Chad's name.

"Hey guys," She called out, gaining everyone's attention. "I have to take this, but I'll meet you all in the library later." Everyone nodded as she turned and headed for the nearest door to the gardens.

"Hello?" Audrey answered as she pushed open the French style doors.

"Hey, babe. Feeling any better?" Chad asked as Audrey wandered around her mother's gardens.

"Yeah. Just a little bit," She responded as she sat down on one of the stone benches. The soft wind felt good as it brushed across her face. "I wish you were here with me."

"I know," Chad sighed as he paced. Audrey could hear the pitter patter of his feet as he walked around. "I wish I was there with you too. Not being able to do anything is killing me!"

"Chad, sweetie, are you pacing again?" Audrey asked, suppressing a small giggle. She heard as the steps immediately came to a stop.

"Maybe," Chad admitted sheepishly. It had become a habit of Chad's that whenever he got worked up, he started pacing.

Audrey was about to say something more when she heard something rustling behind her. She turned around to see a shadow sneaking out of her father's study. It was carrying some kind of bag and she could have sworn that there was something red on its arm.

"That's odd," Audrey mumbled. Her father was supposed to be in the library with everyone else. So, why was the light in his study on? And why was some mysterious person sneaking out of it?

"Audrey? What is it, babe?" Chad asked, concern lace in his voice. His pacing resumed.

"Probably nothing," Audrey lied. She didn't want to worry her boyfriend any more than he already was. "Can I call you later?"

"Of course. Please stay safe," Chad said as he hung up. Audrey inhaled sharply. She held onto her phone tightly as she snuck closer to the side of the castle. To where the door to her father's study was. Her heart was beating loudly. She just hoped that no one else could hear it. She placed her hand on the door knob and slowly twisted. She crept inside and covered her mouth as she gasped.

"Grampa!" Audrey yelped as she saw the man sitting behind her father's desk. "Wha-what are you doing here? Grammy said you wouldn't be back for a little while."

"Audrey, dear!" Her grandfather, Stephen, called out in surprise. "I wanted to surprise everyone."

"Then what are you doing in Dad's private study?" Audrey inquired. "Everyone's in the royal library."

"Oh, yes, well… you see," He thought of something to say. "I just came by to grab some old paperwork. I was just about to head to the library right now. Why don't you join me?" He extended a hand towards his granddaughter.

"Right," Audrey said, not fully believing her grandfather. "So, who was that guy?"

"What guy?" Stephen asked as Audrey took his hand. She discretely rolled her eyes.

"The guy that was sneaking around in the gardens," Audrey narrowed her eyes at her grandfather as they began walking to the library.

"Have you been spending too much time in the sun, Audrey? I think you're starting to imagine things."

Audrey huffed quietly to herself. "I'm not imagining anything."

"Audrey, haven't we discussed the mumbling," Stephen chastised as they neared the library.

"Of course, Grampa," Audrey projected more clearly as she lifted her head up higher and straightened her back.

"Good," He said simply as he opened the doors to the royal library.

"Hey, Audrey, do you think that you could help with me the remedies?" Evie called out, hearing the door open, but not looking up.

"Of course, E. I'll be right over." Before Audrey could make her way over to her blue haired friend, her grandfather placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She glance over at him, confused.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to all of your friends?" He asked as everyone in the room looked up to see who the new voice belonged to. Audrey may have been friends with most of these people since she was in diapers, but they had never met her grandfather before. In fact, the only one who had ever met him was Ben. Mainly because Ben used to be her boyfriend and he _is_ the king of Auradon. So, the two ran into each other every now and again.

"Father?" Aurora spoke, a slight frown was present on her face. After the whole 'kill Maleficent' thing, Aurora never really forgave her father. To make matters worse, he was the one who had sent Maleficent to the Isle. She considered Maleficent to be her Fairy Godmother, her second mother, her protector. Aurora had been furious. Especially after hearing that Maleficent was with child. "You're early."

"Yes, I wanted to surprise my family," Stephen explained. "But, it appears that I am the one who is being surprised." He gestured towards all of the teens that were now rummaging through the books in his castle. Or rather, his daughter's castle.

"Oh no, believe me, we _are_ surprised," Aurora retorted as Phillip placed a calming hand around her shoulders.

"Well," Leah began, trying to cut through the now present tension, "Stephen, it's nice to have you back. As always." Leah strolled over to her husband and gave him a small hug.

"It's nice to _be_ back, Leah." He turned to Audrey once again. "So, how about those introductions."

"Right," Audrey drawled. "Lonnie, daughter of Mulan and Captain Li Shang. Jane, daughter of the Fairy Godmother. Aziz, son of King Aladdin and Queen Jasmine." She paused as she glance warily back at her grandfather. She didn't know how he would react to the VKs. "Carlos de Vil, son of Cruella de Vil. Evie Queen, daughter of Grimhilde, the Evil Queen. Jay Jafarson, son of Jafar. You already know King Ben." Audrey pointed to her friends as she introduced them. She decided to end with Ben, to leave off on a high note. She knew how he felt about villains and their kids.

"I see," Stephen said, his voice void of any emotion. His eyes lingered on Evie, Jay, and Carlos. They narrowed slightly. Something sparkled in his eyes, but Audrey couldn't quite make it out. "Weren't there four of you? What happened to the purple one?" Audrey could have sworn that his voice held some mischief in it, but she quickly pushed that thought aside.

Evie's face fell, the tears threatening to fall again. Jay's lips pressed together in a firm line, his arms crossed against his chest. Carlos remained impartial. At least, it _looked_ like he was impartial. His eyes told everyone just what he was feeling.

"She's ill," Belle seethed. Clearly not liking his tone on the subject.

"Sorry, didn't mean to hit a nerve," Stephen apologized airily. Though everyone could tell he wasn't really sorry. He never did like Mal. If only because she was the daughter of the person, or fairy, that he hated with a burning passion. He would never forgive Maleficent, even if she _was_ the one to wake his sleeping daughter. Therefore, he would never accept Mal as anyone but the daughter of an 'evil' fairy that ruined his life.

Audrey frowned as she made her way over to Evie. She had never seen this side of her grandfather before. She definitely didn't like it.

* * *

 **Hello guys and gals! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Sorry it took so long. I've been busy with school. I hope to upload a few more chapters over the next couple of days. School has been dismissed unexpectedly for the next two days. Hurricane Irma is going to hit Florida, so we're all preparing. It's going to be the worst hurricane we've had in years (and the biggest. It's bigger than the state of Florida!). Everything is sold out and people are 'panicking'. Anyway, I may lose power, hopefully not, but I may. So I'm sorry if I don't upload too much this weekend.**

 **Thanks to everyone for reviewing, following, and/or favoriting. Thanks for just reading. Special thanks to my dad (not that he'll ever see this) for being my second pair of eyes.**

 **Let me know what you guys and gals are thinking.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: A quick thanks to everyone who sent their prayers, kind words, or their support during this hurricane. It really means a lot, so thank you.**

* * *

Evie had lost track of how long they'd all been in the library. She was surprised when she saw rays from the morning sun seeping through the stained glass window that was on the back wall. She looked around at the people she now considered to be her family. Audrey was by her side, looking for anything that resembled a helpful remedy. Fairy Godmother had also been by her side, but she had gone to the hospital to check on Mal. She had called and told everyone that Mal was fine. Though, the pain killers were slowly wearing off, and the doctors couldn't give her anymore for a little while, for fear of an overdose. Jane had taken her mother's place, helping the two teen girls look for some kind of cure or something remotely useful. Everyone else: Jay, Carlos, Doug, Lonnie, Aziz, Ben, Belle, Adam, Aurora, Leah, and Phillip were still searching through the 'Crime History' section. It was a much larger section, so it required more pairs of eyes. It wasn't as big as Belle's library, but it was still one of the biggest libraries that Evie had ever seen.

Stephen hadn't been much help. He came, stayed for a few hours, and left. He never came back. No one knows where he had gone. To Evie, it didn't really matter. She didn't like the way he talked about Mal and Maleficent. Sure, Maleficent has become a bad, maybe even evil, person since being placed on the Isle. But, he had to have realized that she was like this because of him. After all, Maleficent had been the protector of the Moors. She was an innocent and good fairy once. After Stephen had broken her heart, and taken her wings, she spiraled out of control and into the darkness. Aurora was able to bring her out of that spiral, but only briefly. When Stephen had heard that King Adam and Queen Belle were making an island prison for all of the villains, he set out to find Maleficent and all of her 'goons'. It had taken him 4 years, and by then, Maleficent was with child. Placing her and her unborn child on the Isle pushed her over the edge of good and into the pit of evil. Pushed her over the edge of no return. Although, ever since she turned herself into a lizard, she has been learning to love again thanks to Mal. Slowly, but surely.

"Hey, guys!" Lonnie called out, pulling Evie from her thoughts. "I think I found something!" Everyone quickly got up from where they were and made their way over to Lonnie. She was sat on the floor, a large book open on her lap.

"What is it?" Belle asked, hope evident in her eyes. In everyone's eyes.

"Well, it's not much, but it should be enough," Lonnie stated as she pointed to some text in the book. It was so small, no one could actually read it.

"These words are too small for us to read, so make them bigger. Quickly complete this deed," Jane muttered as the words on the page formed out of thin air in front of everyone. She had a triumphant smile.

"Nice job, Jane," Carlos praised as he gave her a small hug.

"Thanks, I've been practicing with Mother and…" She paused, her smile turned into a sad one, "…and Mal." There was a brief silence as they all thought about the purple haired teen.

"Okay, so what did you find?" Ben asked, breaking the silence. He scanned the words in front of him, hoping for something useful.

"There was a crime that was committed a few years ago, a kidnapping or something like that. The suspect had a large rose tattoo on his arm. He was captured. Turns out, he's just a mercenary. Paid by someone to complete the job. But, get this, he claims to be a real patriot. He loves his leaders. Everything he does is for the royal family," Lonnie summarized.

"So, this mercenary guy, he _is_ from the Sleeping Kingdom?" Carlos asked as the words faded from their view.

"Appears to be that way."

"And all of his crimes, he does because he thinks that we would want him to do it?" Phillip questioned tentatively as Lonnie nodded. He couldn't believe that someone would be doing all of these awful things and still consider themselves as a patriot.

"From what I've read, he'll work for anyone that's willing to pay him. Doesn't matter what the job is," Lonnie said as she scanned the page again. "They never found out who any of his bosses were. They all remain anonymous, even to this day."

"Okay, now we have a lead. Do you know what his name is?" Aurora quizzed.

"Hubert Randall," Lonnie stated.

Leah hummed, deep in thought. "That name sounds familiar. But I don't remember why," She muttered under her breath.

Audrey thought back to last night. She has seen someone sneaking around the gardens with some sort of bag. Maybe it was this Hubert guy. But, why was he here, and what was in that bag. One thought kept crossing her mind: **Grampa must be the mysterious employer.** That would explain a lot. It would explain why that guy, she assumed to be Hubert, was leaving her father's study and sneaking around the castle gardens. It would explain why Stephen was in her father's study to begin with. It would also explain why he had that mischievous glint in his eye when he asked about Mal. He also had a motive for attacking Mal. To add to all of that, he hated her. That was obvious. All the clues were pointing to her grandfather. She didn't want to believe it. She pushed those thoughts deep, deep down. To the farthest corner of her mind. She, much like Ben, hated keeping things from her family. But, if her hunch was right, and her grandfather was behind all of this, then she most likely wouldn't have a family to keep things from.

"Audrey, dear, are you okay?" Phillip asked his daughter. All eyes on her. She gulped.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She didn't want to trouble her family with what she knew. With what she thought was the answer. For all she knew, she was wrong. For all she knew, her hunch was way off.

"Are you sure?" Aurora questioned. Audrey stiffly nodded.

"What do we do now?" Evie asked as she fell into the nearest chair. Adam and Belle walked over, the latter sat down next to her. Adam gently placed one hand on Evie's shoulder and the other on Belle's.

"We find out as much about this Hubert guy as we can," Belle stated simply as she rubbed comforting circles into Evie's back. Evie merely nodded in response.

"Why don't we all get some rest? We can all meet back up in a few hours for breakfast," Aurora suggested. The others nodded. Not sure of what to do next.

"I'll show you all to the guest wing," Audrey stated as she headed for the door. Her parents headed for their own room. The others followed her out of the library, down a few halls, up a few flights of stairs, and then down some more hallways. She showed Adam and Belle to their room first. Next were Jay and Carlos. Then, Doug and Ben. As soon as Ben and Doug's door had been closed, she turned to her friends. "We need to talk." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She didn't want anyone else to hear.

"What is it, Audrey?" Jane questioned, worried about what her friend had to say.

"We can't talk here." Audrey eyed the doors that separated the small group of girls from everyone else. "Let's head to my room." Her friends nodded as they followed her to the other side of Castle Beauty.

After they all were in Audrey's room, she closed and locked the door. "Jane, do you think you can cast a spell to make the room sound proof?" Audrey requested as Jane took a minute to think about it.

"I can try," She responded. Jane placed her hands firmly against the door. She closed her eyes in concentration. After a minute, light blue magic started to pulse around her hands before spreading out and covering the walls. When she was done, there was a thin layer of magic covering Audrey's pink bedroom walls. "That should do it."

"Thanks, Jane." Audrey gave her friend a grateful smile. Jane returned it with a shy one of her own.

"Okay, Audrey. What is this all about?" Lonnie questioned as she sat down on Audrey's perfectly made bed.

"I think… I think my grandfather is the one behind all of this." She watched as her friends' eyes widened.

"That is a serious accusation. Are you sure?" Evie inquired as she sat down at Audrey's white desk.

"Evie is right," Lonnie agreed. "You're basically accusing _your_ _grandfather_ of _treason_."

Audrey sighed as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Last night, when I was outside, I saw someone sneaking around the gardens. I'm positive that it was Hubert. I caught a glimpse of red on his arm and he was holding onto some sort of bag. Probably full of money. He was sneaking out of my father's study. Naturally, I went to investigate. That's how I ran into my grandfather. He was sitting behind my father's desk. Besides, he never liked Mal, he has a motive. He was the one who sent Maleficent to the Isle, so why would he want her daughter roaming around?"

Her friends were quiet as they absorbed this new information.

"What do you want to do about this?" Jane asked as she sat down next to Lonnie.

"I don't know," Audrey breathed out. She had never been so unsure of anything in her life.

"We need to find out for sure if he is Hubert's current employer," Evie declared. Her eyes held determination. She was ready to get this all over with.

"How do we do that?" Jane questioned.

"Yeah, we can't exactly confront him about it," Lonnie voiced her concerns.

"I… I don't know," Audrey mumbled as she fell to the floor. "I have no idea what to do or how to do it. I don't know what's going to happen." She was on the verge of tears. Evie quickly got up from her seat and moved over towards Audrey. She knelt down next to the brunette princess.

"Shhh. Audrey, everything will be alright," Evie comforted as she wrapped the upset teen in a hug. "Everything will be okay."

"We need to figure _something_ out. We can't just sit here and do nothing," Lonnie called out in exasperation.

"Evie," Jane called timidly, immediately gaining the blue haired girl's attention. "Can you use your magic mirror to see what happened last night in the study?" Evie nodded and, much to Audrey's dismay, released her. She pulled her mirror out of her pocket.

"Magic Mirror, show me what happened last night in King Phillip's study," Evie commanded as the blue smoke slowly cleared. The other three teen girls gathered around Evie and her mirror. It reveled King Stephen and another man who wore black pants and a black hoodie. He was facing away from the point of view of the mirror, so his face wasn't seen. Stephen's face, on the other hand, couldn't have been missed.

" _ **Did you do it?" Stephen hissed out. He sat comfortably behind his son-in-law's desk.**_

" _ **Of course I did it."**_

" _ **Do they suspect anything?"**_

" _ **Do you take me for a fool?" The man, assumed to be Hubert, hissed back with just as much fire behind his words. Stephen leaned back in the chair, watching the man before him carefully. A small smile spread across his face.**_

" _ **Of course not."**_

" _ **I want my money."**_

" _ **Of course you do." Stephen gestured towards a box next to the desk. Hubert leant over and opened it. Inside was a bag, similar to a potato sack. "It's all in there." He sounded bored.**_

" _ **If it's not, I'm coming back."**_

" _ **Please don't. We wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious. Now would we?"**_

 _ **Hubert slung the bag over his should and left. Not saying anything more. Stephen continued to sit in the chair, appearing to be in deep thought. Audrey snuck into the study. She covered her mouth as she gasped.**_

" _ **Grampa!" Audrey yelled in surprise. "Wha-what are you doing here? Grammy said you wouldn't be back for a little while."**_

" _ **Audrey, dear!" Stephen called out, unaware that his granddaughter had entered the room. "I wanted to surprise everyone."**_

" _ **Then what are you doing in Dad's study? Everyone's in the royal library."**_

" _ **Oh, yes, well… you see," He was clearly coming up with a lie to tell the teen girl in front of him. "I just came by to grab some old paperwork. I was just about to head to the library right now. Why don't you join me?" Stephen extended out an arm towards Audrey.**_

" _ **Right," Her doubt was quite obvious. "So, who was that guy?"**_

" _ **What guy?" Audrey took her grandfather's hand.**_

That's where the flashback ended. The mirror clouded over once again.

"So he _was_ lying to me! I knew it!" Audrey huffed in anger.

"We have to show this to the others," Jane squeaked. She shook slightly. Lonnie wrapped an arm around her nervous friend. Jane was scared. The man who had ordered the attack on one of her best friends was in the castle right now. He had been in the same room as her not too long ago.

"Yeah," Evie scoffed. "Like they would ever believe us."

"Evie's right. It's our word against his. He could easily say that we used magic to create that. Seeing how two of us _can_ use magic. We wouldn't be able to prove him wrong," Lonnie agreed, her eyes downcast.

"Besides, they wouldn't take the word of a villain's kid over the word of a king," Evie added.

"Evie…" Audrey tried, but Evie raised her hand, effectively cutting of the princess.

"It's okay, Audrey. I'm fine with it. It's who I am and I'm not ashamed of it. But, we _need_ to find some more evidence."

"They're right. Unfortunately," Jane interjected.

"I know," Audrey sighed. She didn't like that, even though most people loved Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos, they still weren't really respected as much as they should have been. "What can we do?"

"Doesn't the study have security cameras?" Lonnie quizzed as Audrey took a moment to think about it.

"Even if it does, they can still accuse us of tampering with the video. I'm sure Carlos can do that in his sleep," Evie explained before Audrey could finish thinking. "We have to get a piece of evidence that they _can't_ question. That they can't deem as fake."

"We have to get him to confess," Audrey thought out loud. They wouldn't question it if they heard him say it himself.

"Yeah, but it _has_ to be in front of everyone. We can't use a recording or we could be accused of tampering with _that_ too. I'm sure Carlos could make a voice changing software in his sleep," Evie said.

"Damn Carlos for being so smart!" Audrey exclaimed as she dramatically threw her arms up in the air. Jane looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Sorry Jane. You know I didn't mean anything by it." Jane simply nodded, her cheeks tinted a soft pink.

"We can try to get him to confess over breakfast," Lonnie suggested.

"Yeah, we can try that," Evie agreed. "But, it has to go off without a hitch, or…"

"… _we_ could be accused of treason," Audrey finished the thought as they all shared a worried look. As far as she was concerned, trying to get a king in trouble for doing something illegal would most likely be considered as treason.

"I _will not_ be sent back to that floating prison," Evie muttered as Jane's eyes widened.

"W-we could be se-sent to the Isle?" She stuttered. There was too much at stake here. If they failed, Mal most likely wouldn't make it, they would be charged with treason against the former king of the Sleeping Kingdom, and then they would be sent to the Isle of the Lost.

"That is _not_ going to happen," Lonnie stated firmly. "We will succeed. We all will come out of this alright." The four girls nodded. They were determined.

"Besides, Ben would never allow that to happen," Audrey added, though she was scared as well.

"Audrey, do you mind if I stay here? I don't really feel like going to the other side of the castle right now," Jane asked timidly. The other girls looked on with questioning eyes. They didn't want to head back either.

"Yeah, I don't really feel like being alone right now," Audrey responded as the other girls smiled.

"I know that it may be a chore, but conjure us up three sleeping bags here on the floor," Jane chanted as her blue magic swirled around the floor before disappearing. It revealed 3 brand new sleeping bags. The first one was for Evie, it was royal blue with a golden crown on it. The second one was for Lonnie, it was peach colored with pink cherry blossoms. The third one was for Jane, it was light blue with silver designs all over it.

"You're getting better at the whole magic thing," Lonnie praised. The girls got into their respective sleeping bags as Audrey got into her bed.

As she lay in her pink bed, Audrey couldn't help but think about everything that was going on. It was all overwhelming and scary. Could she really get her grandfather to confess to his crime in front of everyone? She would have to. Or that would be the end of Mal. Then, she, Lonnie, Evie, and Jane would all be sent to the Isle. She wasn't stupid, she knew just how dangerous the Isle could be. She probably wouldn't last too long over there. She also knew that Evie probably wouldn't be too popular over their right now. And, by law, the others wouldn't be able to do anything about it. That would be considered as them trying to break criminals out of jail. Is that what she was? A criminal?

'No. I am not the one at fault here. He is, and he won't get away with any of this. He can't,' Audrey thought to herself as she let the sleep take over. One thing she knew for sure, her family, including Chad, would lose their minds if she ended up on the Isle. She couldn't do that to them. To him. She wouldn't allow failure. She _couldn't_ allow it.

* * *

 **Hey guys and gals! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It took a little longer than I would have liked, but oh well. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed. I really like to hear what you guys have to say. If you have any suggestions or ideas, make sure to leave them in a review or PM me. Also, big thanks for simply reading. (Props to you if you got this far!)** **Good news though: I haven't lost power! At least not yet. I don't think the hurricane will be hitting us until tomorrow, but we'll see what happens.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who sent their prayers or regards because of the hurricane that hit. It was greatly appreciated.**

* * *

"Princess Audrey, breakfast is ready."

She groaned as someone woke her up. Audrey hadn't gotten much sleep. She was too worried to sleep properly. Had she slept in? What time was she meant to wake up? Audrey didn't really know. And, if she was being honest, she didn't really care all that much.

"Thanks Danika," Audrey grumbled out of habit. She may have been tired and annoyed, but she didn't want to add rude to the list as well. She slowly, but surely, rolled her way out of bed. She had forgotten that her friends were sleeping on the floor. So, she was more than surprised when she tripped over one of them. "Oh my! Lonnie, I am so sorry!" She was fully awake now.

"It's fine, Audrey. I'm okay," Lonnie responded groggily as she sat up. "What time is it?"

Audrey glanced over at the clock that sat on her bedside table. "10:30." Lonnie grunted as she curled back up in her sleeping bag.

"Too early. Need. More. Sleep."

Audrey rolled her eyes gently as she stood up and made her way over to her closet. She pulled out a pair of light wash jeans, a fitted pink tank top, nude flats, and a loose white cardigan. She wouldn't normally dress _so_ casual, but she didn't feel like dressing up today. With the clothes in hand, she headed to the attached bathroom. She twisted the knob, only to find that it was locked. She frowned as she knocked on the door. It flew open, causing Audrey to take a couple steps back.

"Good morning Audrey!" Evie sang as she waltzed out of the bathroom, fully dressed and wearing a full face of makeup. Instead of the leather skirt, boots, leggings, and jacket that Evie had been wearing yesterday, she was now wearing a beautiful blue dress with black flats. Audrey watched her friend carefully.

"Good morning Evie," Audrey greeted. "You're awfully chipper this morning. How come? And where did you get that outfit?" It was a drastic difference from the state she was in yesterday.

"Because, hopefully, today we end all of this nonsense and we can finally move on with our lives and have Mal right by our side, where she belongs! And I always carry an extra outfit with me. You never know when it might come in handy."

"I see," Audrey replied simply. That was just like Evie. Always prepared. Audrey admired that, among other things. But, she still wasn't sure of anything. All she knew for definite was that in the end, her family would still be torn apart. Either she or her grandfather would end up on the Isle. But, if she was sentenced to live on the Isle, her grandfather would surely step up and come clean, right? Right? At least, she hoped that he would. She didn't know if he would just let her carry out the punishment that was meant for him, or if he would rescue his granddaughter.

"Oh, right. Sorry Audrey. I forgot that this is your family that we're dealing with," Evie apologized as her mood dimmed.

"No, no. It's okay. I'm okay. The outcome is inevitable. If Grampa believes what he did is okay, then he truly deserves the punishment that he receives. Whatever that may be."

Evie offered her friend a smile. "I'm absolutely positive that everything will be okay. We'll all make it out of this alright." Audrey returned the smile as she made her way into the bathroom. Closing, and locking, the door behind her.

While Audrey was in the bathroom, Evie went to wake up the others.

"Jane," Evie gently shook the young girl as she knelt beside her sleeping bag. "Jane, you need to wake up." Jane stirred before slowly sitting up. She wiped the sleep away from her eyes.

"Hi, Evie," Jane greeted as she looked around, the events of yesterday slowly coming back to her.

"Audrey's in the bathroom right now, but you can go in after her." Jane nodded, not really paying attention to anything that Evie was saying. Evie moved on to Lonnie. "Lonnie."

"Time?" The girl questioned, not opening her eyes or making a move to get up.

"10:40," Evie answered as Lonnie waved her away. Evie sighed. This was going to be harder than she initially thought. "LONNIE!" Evie shouted. The raven haired girl quickly sat up.

"Where's the fire?!" She exclaimed as she looked around frantically. She frowned, not seeing any sort of danger. "Evie! Why would you do that?"

"Because you wouldn't wake up! You're just like Jay," Evie muttered that last sentence so Lonnie didn't quite make out what she had said. "Anyways, now that you are up, you can start getting ready. Once Audrey is done, Jane is next, and then you. Then, we are all heading down for breakfast."

Lonnie groaned as she reluctantly stood up. She headed over to Audrey's closet and pulled out a peach colored box that was labeled 'LONNIE'. She and Audrey had had so many sleepovers, that Audrey had made a box to store the essentials, just in case Lonnie ever forgot anything. Lonnie pulled out gray joggers, a peach off the shoulder top, and white tennis shoes. She closed the door to the closet and quickly got changed.

Audrey came out of the bathroom as Lonnie was changing. She hadn't taken as long as she usually did because she wasn't in the mood to apply too much makeup. Just enough to cover up the imperfections.

"Audrey, do you have anything that Jane can wear?" Evie questioned as she pulled the small girl to her feet. Jane still looked out of it. Evie waved a hand in front of the young fairy's face. She received no response. "Is she always like this when she wakes up?"

"Pretty much," Audrey stated as she headed over to her dresser, that's where she kept all of her clothes that were either too small, and the ones that she would never wear again. She had only had a sleepover with Jane a few times. But, she had been the same then as well. "It's not really anything to worry about. She'll be fine in a few minutes." Audrey looked through a few drawers before she found something she thought would suit Jane. "Here." Audrey handed Evie a baby blue dress with a halter top. It was fitted at the bodice and loose below the waist. It also had a matching sweater. "That should fit her." Evie nodded her approval as she put the clothes in Jane's hands and shoved her into the bathroom.

"Do you think he's going to be at breakfast?" Evie tentatively asked Audrey as they started to roll up the sleeping bags. Audrey immediately knew who the blue haired teen was talking about.

"Probably. He's never missed a family meal before. I don't think he would start now." After rolling up Lonnie's sleeping bag and placing it by her closet door, Audrey moved on to her making her bed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Evie replied as she placed her and Jane's sleeping bags next to Lonnie's. She went to help Audrey with the bed.

"How did you and Mal meet?" Audrey had always been curious as to how the girls had grown so close to each other.

Evie smiled as the memories started rushing to the front of her brain. "It's actually quite a funny story. Everyone knew who she was, of course. You didn't have to meet her to know who she was and that you should fear her. Everyone knew that you didn't want to get on her bad side. Her mother was Maleficent after all. The first time I ever saw her was on my sixth birthday. Mother had thrown a party for me and she invited every kid on the Isle. Well, everyone but Mal. She had some kind of a grudge with Maleficent. I remember seeing her and her mother looking down on us from the balcony of their castle as Maleficent banished me and my mother. I was terrified, and so was everyone else. After 10 years, I returned to civilization and started going to school again. Mother thought that no one would remember what happened, but Mal did. She has a great memory. She went out of her way to make me suffer. She actually tried to kill me. When that didn't work, she tried to curse me. We went on this long quest to get Maleficent her scepter. The scepter had a curse on it, so that if anyone but Maleficent touched it, they would be asleep for a hundred years, or something like that. But, Mal ended up taking the hit for me, she wasn't as affected by the curse as I would have been since she was the daughter of Maleficent. She was only out for a few minutes. We've been best friends ever since. That was all a few months before we arrived in Auradon actually."

"Wow," Audrey breathed. That was a lot to take in. Though, it was a little funny that Mal had been so determined to take out Evie, yet in the process, she grew close to the very person she wanted to remove from her life. Lonnie finally trudged out of Audrey's closet just as Jane exited the bathroom.

"Morning," Jane greeted, finally back to her cheery self. Lonnie then headed into the bathroom, dragging her feet as she went.

"Good morning Jane," Audrey and Evie replied in unison.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this dress, Audrey," Jane thanked as she looked down at her appearance.

"It's no problem, Jane. You can keep that dress."

"Are… are you sure?"

"Positive. It can't fit me anymore."

"Okay," Jane said as she sat at Audrey's desk. They waited a few more minutes for Lonnie, so they could all head down together.

Once Lonnie had finally come out of the bathroom, in a slightly better mood than before, Audrey led her friends down the dining room. The only ones there were the adults. Leah and Stephen were at the heads of the table. Aurora and Phillip were on either side of Leah. Belle was next to Aurora, Adam was next to Phillip, and Fairy Godmother was next to Adam. Stephen sat by his lonesome at his end of the table, the side that was farthest from the door. He didn't mind though, he usually liked being alone. They were all having a conversation about something, only the Gods can tell you what, but it immediately stopped when they saw the four teens enter.

"Good morning dear ones," Fairy Godmother greeted.

"Fairy Godmother, how's Mal?" Evie immediately asked upon seeing the blue fairy.

Fairy Godmother looked around at the others, silently asking them if she should tell the girls what was going on. They all sighed, signaling that they should just get it over with. "Well, you see, she's not doing too well. She's slowly running out of energy, and she's still in a lot of pain. She's starting to give up." She wrung a napkin in her hands. "The doctors don't know how much longer she has left." Her last sentence was so quiet that Evie hoped she had misheard it.

"What?" Evie managed to squeak out as she fell into the nearest chair, which happened to be the one next to Belle. "No, it can't be. Mal is a fighter. She'll make it through. She _has_ to make it." There was so much determination behind her words, the fire in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Evie, dear, we have to plan for the worst and hope for the best," Fairy Godmother tried to explain.

"Well it's not necessary! She's _not_ going to die!" Evie yelled as she silently thanked the Gods that she had opted for the waterproof makeup today, but she cursed at them for putting them all in this awful situation. Audrey sat down next to Evie to try and calm the blue haired girl. Belle wrapped the girl in a hug. She didn't like any of this either, but she knew that Fairy Godmother had a point. If they didn't find whoever was behind this, and soon, they _would_ have to start preparing for the worst.

"How did you girls sleep?" Belle asked, trying to change the subject.

"We slept alright," Lonnie responded as she and Jane took their seats on the other side of Audrey.

"I stopped by the guest wing to check on everyone, but I didn't see you three. Where were you?" Fairy Godmother asked, although she already had an idea of what the answer would be.

"We stayed with Audrey in her room," Jane replied sheepishly.

"We didn't really want to be separated," Audrey added as she rubbed Evie's arm.

"Of course," Fairy Godmother said softly. That was the answer she had been expecting.

"When can we eat?" Lonnie questioned, she sounded a little crabby. She sure was not a morning person.

"When the boys arrive, we can start eating," Phillip announced as Lonnie leaned back in her chair, mentally cursing her boyfriend and the others for taking so long.

* * *

Ben slowly rose from his bed. He looked over to see that Doug's bed was empty. Ben's eyes widened. Doug was like his brother. He couldn't lose another person that he cared about. Not that he would lose Mal. Because that was definitely _not_ going to happen. Not on his watch.

"Doug?" Ben called out, his tone was a little frantic.

"In here," Doug answered from behind the bathroom door. Ben released a sigh in relief. He slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and planted his feet firmly on the floor. Instead of getting up, he hung his head and let it rest in his hands.

"Ben, what's wrong?" Doug asked as he exited the bathroom, seeing how upset the young king was.

"I can't help but think about Mal and how much pain she must be in right now," Ben revealed, but his words sounded muttered as he spoke into his palms.

"I know." Doug sat next to Ben. "But we can't help if we just sit around all day. Now go on and get ready. Your parents dropped off some clothes for you earlier." Ben nodded as he stood and headed into the bathroom. He hoped that today wouldn't be another long day.

* * *

"Jay. Jay. Jay. Jay," Carlos repeated over and over again. He knew that eventually the boy would get annoyed and get up. That was the hope anyway. They were technically late for breakfast, and he knew the girls wouldn't be too pleased with them.

"No, man. You're doing it all wrong," Aziz spoke as he made his way over to where Carlos was. He grabbed the pillow from under Jay's head, causing the latter to groan in annoyance. Aziz raised the pillow over his head.

"Jay, I'm going to give you until the count of three to get up," Aziz warned. "One… Two… Three…" Jay simply changed his position. "Okay, you've chosen your fate. I hate to do this to you." He brought the pillow down on Jay's side. "JAY! GET UP RIGHT NOW!" He continued his pillow assault, hitting Jay with it over and over again.

"Alright, alright. I'm up. I'm up," Jay groaned as he sat up.

"Good," Aziz stated as he tossed the pillow aside. "See you guys at breakfast." He waved and disappeared out the door and down the hallway.

"Come on, Jay. You need to get ready," Carlos instructed as Jay headed to the bathroom. "Evie dropped off some spare clothes for you to change into."

"Where did she get a spare change of clothes for the three of us?" Jay questioned as he closed the bathroom door.

"I don't know dude. She's magic," Carlos shrugged. "Just don't question it."

"Whatever."

Carlos waited for a few minutes before Jay exited the bathroom. They left the room that they had been given and headed in the direction they thought the dining room would be in. They ran into Ben and Doug on the way. The four of them roamed the halls, getting completely lost in the process. Ben had to call Audrey and she had to talk them through how to get to the dining hall. It turns out that they had only needed to go down the flight of stairs that was near their rooms and then go straight. They made it much more complicated than it needed to be. Needless to say, when they finally arrived, the girls weren't too happy. Aziz, on the other hand, couldn't contain his laughter.

"How did you get here without a problem?" Jay asked the teen. He simply shrugged and pointed to his nose.

"Followed the smell." Jay rolled his eyes.

Upon seeing Fairy Godmother, Ben asked, "How is she?" Fairy Godmother sighed as she leaned back in her chair, she should have been expecting this. She didn't really want to have to say it again. Based on how Evie reacted, she didn't think Ben, Jay, and Carlos would take it too well.

"Yes, how is the purple one?" Stephen asked as he smirked, though everyone could tell that he didn't really care. Evie snarled at him, which earned her a few questioning looks.

"You know damn well how _Mal_ is!" Aurora shouted at her father as she stood abruptly, his smirk turning to a frown. He was just asking to be annoying, this she knew for a fact. He had been there when Fairy Godmother had told the adults, _and_ when she had told the girls. Phillip pulled his wife closer in order to comfort her.

The food was immediately brought out, in order to help diffuse the situation.

They all ate slowly, no one said anything more. Audrey, Lonnie, Jane, and Evie kept sharing looks that no one else seemed to understand. Stephen cleared his throat, dismissing the silence. Gaining him everyone's attention.

"So how was your day yesterday, Audrey?" Stephen asked his granddaughter. Aurora rolled her eyes, but her father hadn't noticed.

"Um… Well… It started out all right, I guess," Audrey began as she fidgeted with her napkin. She seemed nervous, Ben couldn't figure out why. She was only talking to her grandfather.

"Tell me about it."

"We all went out together, except for Ben. He had to take care of some King stuff. We did some shopping. Then, we grabbed a bite to eat. After that…" Audrey gulped. "…we headed to the hospital because Mal was… injured." One of the castle staff members entered the dining room quietly and headed straight over towards Stephen. They whispered something in his ear. To which he nodded.

"Well, Audrey, my dear, it sounds like you had a very full day," He pushed his chair back and placed his napkin on his plate. "If you all will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to." Lonnie and Evie narrowed their eyes as he moved towards the exit. They waited a couple minutes after he left before they stood abruptly. They pulled Jane and Audrey with them as they followed Stephen.

"Where are you girls going?" Belle asked before the girls could fully leave.

"Bathroom," Lonnie muttered as she made her way out.

"Don't wait up," Evie added with that sweet tone and smile of hers.

The others gave each other confused looks. The girls had been acting weird this morning, but none knew why. They simply shrugged it off as they continued to eat. They just hoped that the girls wouldn't get themselves into too much trouble.

* * *

Lonnie, Audrey, Jane, and Evie stalked after Stephen. They made sure to stay hidden and in the shadows. They didn't want Stephen to realize that he was being followed. They only stopped when Stephen entered Phillip's office.

"What could he possibly want in there?" Audrey quietly thought out loud.

"We have to see what's going on in there," Lonnie informed as she headed over to the door. She opened it just a crack and peered through. The others followed her lead and looked through the crack. They saw the same man, the one in the dark pants and hoodie. Stephen was sitting behind the desk once again.

" _ **You need to speed up the process," Stephen ordered.**_

" _ **Patience, your majesty, is key."**_

" _ **Patience," Stephen repeated as he stood. "Patience." He walked around the desk so he was standing in front of it and Hubert. "I don't have time for patience! She was supposed to be dead already!"**_

" _ **She's stronger than she looks."**_

" _ **Oh, okay. All is good then," Stephen said in a surprisingly calm voice.**_

" _ **Really?"**_

" _ **Of course not!" Stephen yelled as he grabbed Hubert's hoodie. "Any more time, and the others may figure it out."**_

 _ **Stephen pushed him back as Hubert stumbled. He huffed as he regained his balance, "I never leave any clues behind. They won't figure it out. Besides, they're just a bunch of kids. Incompetent things, really."**_

" _ **Underestimating them will be your downfall. They may be children, but they're smarter than they appear. You of all people should know that looks can be deceiving."**_

" _ **I doubt it. Smarter people have tried to unlock my secrets. None of them have."**_

" _ **Don't underestimate them," Stephen warned again. "That will give them the upper hand."**_

" _ **Whatever," Hubert said.**_

" _ **So, speed up the process," Stephen ordered. "The sooner she dies, the sooner they'll stop digging."**_

" _ **I can't just speed up the process."**_

" _ **And why not?"**_

" _ **What happens now depends on her and those doctors. Besides, I wouldn't even be able to get close enough to her to do anything. There's at least 20 people around her at all times."**_

 _ **Stephen growled, clearly upset with how this meeting was going. He threw a stapler at the man in front of him, but he easily dodged it. The stapler hit the wall, leaving a noticeable dent in it. Stephen growled even louder. Hubert seemed unfazed by Stephen's actions.**_

" _ **Your majesty, you need to calm down."**_

" _ **Calm down? I need to calm down? I'll calm down when the daughter of Maleficent is dead!" He slammed his fists onto the desk, causing a few thing to fall to the ground. Including the picture of Phillip, Aurora, and Audrey. The glass of the picture frame shattered.**_

"He's wrecking my father's study!" Audrey muttered angrily.

" _ **If that's all you wanted, then I shall be going."**_

" _ **Get out of here! And don't come back until she's dead!" Hubert swiftly exited the study through the door that led to the gardens. Stephen huffed in anger as he sat back down.**_

"I'm going in there," Evie informed, her determination not leaving any room for argument. The girls, knowing they couldn't stop the girl if they tried, backed away from the door as Evie put on her best smile, no matter how fake it was. She gently knocked on the door. She didn't wait for a response as she waltzed in. She closed the door, almost all the way, behind her, making sure her friends could still see what was going on. "King Stephen, nice to see you again."

"Hi, Queenie, was it?" He asked, his tone was bored.

"Evie," She corrected as her smile dimmed in annoyance. "How was your meeting?"

"What meeting?" Stephen asked as he eyed the blue haired girl in front of him.

"The one you left breakfast to attend."

"Ah, yes, that one," Stephen sighed in relief. "It went… well." He glanced around the room, as did Evie.

"Redecorating your son's study?" She asked in her most innocent tone of voice.

"Something along those lines." He waved her question away. "What do you want?"

Evie dropped her smile, a murderous glint in her eyes. "I want you to admit that you hired Hubert Randall to hurt and kill Mal."

Stephen looked shocked, but it only lasted for a second. "Why would I admit to something like that?"

"Drop the act," Evie snarled. "We both know that you did it."

"Fine, I hired Hubert Randall to kill Mal. So what? It's not like anyone will believe a villain over a respected king."

"You're right," Evie admitted. "That's why you're going to tell everyone."

Stephen laughed. "I will never do that."

Evie smirked, "Too bad."

"And why is that?"

"Because you already have."

Stephen gave her a confused look. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. Stephen was speechless as he looked at her phone screen. She was on the phone and the caller ID said Ben's name.

While outside, Evie had called Ben and told him to put the phone on speaker. Meaning, everyone just heard Stephen confess to his crime. Mere seconds later, an angry looking group of people stormed through the door.

"So it was _you_ ," Ben growled, venom laced in his voice. He went to move closer to the older king, but someone beat him to it. Stephen stumbled back, holding his jaw, as Aurora punched her father.

"How dare you try to kill Mal?!" She yelled.

"Why?" Leah asked her husband, she looked betrayed.

"Because that brat is going to destroy everything if she stays here," Stephen fired back, not caring who he was talking to. Ben tried to lunge at Stephen, but he was stopped by his father and Jay. He struggled to relieve himself of their grip.

"Ben, that's not the way to handle this," Audrey told the young king. "We both know that Mal wouldn't want you to beat someone up because of her." Ben's head hung as he stopped his struggling.

"You're right."

"There he is," Phillip said sternly, a group of guards behind him. The grabbed hold of the king and started to leave.

"Wait!" Evie called out, stopping the guards. She walked over to them and stood in front of Stephen. "How do we save Mal?"

He let out a laugh. "You can't." He was then dragged away and to the dungeons where he would wait for his trial.

"What do we do now?" Lonnie asked as Jay and Adam released Ben.

"He's right," Audrey said.

"What?" Her friends asked her.

"He's right," She repeated. " _We_ may not be able to help Mal, but I'm willing to bet that Maleficent can." She received some bewildered looks from the others. "It's worth a try."

"Alright," Fairy Godmother said. "I can transport all of us to where she is being held." She pulled out her wand and waved it, engulfing the large group in blue smoke.

* * *

 **Hey guys and gals! How did you like that chapter? I hope it was alright. I meant to upload it yesterday, but I didn't have any internet, and the power kept going out. All is good now though, Irma has officially left us. (I think.) It's now a tropical storm, so that's good. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed. Thanks for just reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for all of the messaged that I have received about Irma. It really means a lot. I was lucky, my area came out pretty unscathed. I know some areas had it REALLY bad. We only had a little flooding, nothing serious, all the water was gone in less than a day. There were a lot of branches everywhere, and a few fallen trees. No one was hurt or anything. If it is heading your way, passing by you, or in your area right now, I wish you the best of luck. Be safe. I hope you'll all be alright.**

* * *

As the smoke cleared, the group found themselves in a dark, damp cell. In the center, surrounded by a force field, sat a black and purple lizard. Her bright green eyes watching the group intently. She was definitely bigger than when she was last seen at Ben's coronation. That was undeniable. Evie couldn't help but smile at the fact. Mal had been able to break through her mother's tough shell and teach her how to love again, even if it was going a little slow. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? Fairy Godmother waved her wand, the force field grew larger, and so did Maleficent, until she was back to her normal self. She wasn't wearing her black robes anymore, instead she was wearing a long brown dress. Her dark brown hair was out and down. This was a side of Maleficent that Evie had never seen before. The pure and good side. She had to admit, Maleficent was beautiful. You know, when she's not trying to destroy kingdoms and all. Evie could definitely see where Mal got her beauty from. Though, she had handcuffs on. Evie assumed them to be magic binding.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Maleficent asked bitterly as she scowled. She took in the sight before her. She saw a few of the faces that had imprisoned her and her daughter on that damned island.

"Fairy Godmother!" Aurora called out, gaining her a few strange looks, as she moved closer. Maleficent's red lips went from a scowl to a more neutral expression upon seeing the queen. She would never admit this, but Maleficent did miss the woman that she had watched grow up. Leah still gave her a wary look, unsure of how this was all going to end.

"Hello Beasty. It's been too long. You've grown rather nicely," Maleficent greeted as Aurora smiled at her 'Fairy Godmother'. The nicknames had just kind of stuck, even after all of these years. Aurora, didn't mind it, and neither did Maleficent. In fact, they welcomed it. Maleficent's eyes flitted to Audrey, her lips twitched upward. It wasn't a wicked smile, like Evie was used to. It was almost… kind and welcoming. "This must be the little one. Mal has told me a lot about you. Audrey, is it?" Audrey gave the horned fairy a shy smile as she stepped forward and next to her mother.

"Yes, this is my daughter Audrey," Aurora confirmed as she held her daughter close. "What happened to your wings?" Aurora didn't see the long wings that would drag along the ground as the fairy walked. They were gone. Ben, Belle, Adam, Lonnie, Aziz, and Audrey all grew wide eyes. They hadn't known that Maleficent had wings.

"Interesting little thing. She reminds me of you when you were younger, Aurora. Although she has her father's hair." She skirted the question. Like Mal, she really didn't like to open up to people.

"Maleficent?" Aurora tried again.

"They were taken from me after I was captured. A little parting gift from Stephen." Her scowl returned as she remembered the events of the past.

' _No wonder she was so angry.' Audrey thought to herself._

Maleficent sighed as she tried to regain her neutral look. It wasn't particularly easy. Maleficent glanced around at the group. Her neutral expression didn't last long; she frowned when she didn't see her own daughter among them.

"Evie, dear, where is Mal?"

The blue haired girl looked down at her hands, not sure how the woman would take the news. "That's why we're here. There's been an incident."

"What kind of incident?" Maleficent's frown deepened as her eyes narrowed.

"She's in the hospital."

"What?" Maleficent responded, her eyes glowing. She was already thinking of ways to punish whoever was responsible. "What happened?"

"Stephen." Maleficent scowled at the name. "We've come for your help."

"I see," Maleficent's voice held the promise of danger. "What did he do this time?"

' _Has he done anything else? Other than remove her wings_ _.' Audrey wondered._

"He hired someone to kill Mal. She has iron shackles on her arms and there's iron in her system too," Ben answered as he cautiously stepped forward. Maleficent looked him over.

"How long?"

"About a day," Jay responded as Maleficent nodded.

"She doesn't have much longer," She muttered mainly to herself, her head low, but everyone heard her.

"Then, we need to get moving now," Ben proclaimed as Maleficent looked up at him. He was looking her right in the eyes. Her head was cocked to the side as she studied the teenage boy that her daughter had fallen in love with.

"We?" She asked slowly, sure she had misunderstood the young king.

"Yes, we." Ben nodded. "You're coming with us. Fairy Godmother, release her."

Fairy Godmother's eyes widened as she hesitated for a minute before she brought down the force field that separated the group from the, hopefully former, Mistress of Evil. Aurora immediately moved to hug the woman. Maleficent gave her a few pats on the back in return, a slightly uncomfortable look was plastered on her face. She wasn't used to receiving hugs.

"Where to, your majesty?" Maleficent asked, her hands still chained. She didn't complain, she didn't seem to care at the moment. Something that surprised everyone. Everyone except for Aurora, Belle, and Ben. They could tell that the woman really has changed and did want to help her daughter.

"We should see Mal first," Ben stated before he hesitated for a second. "You can call me Ben. Seeing as I am dating your daughter." He added that last sentence in so quietly, no one really heard him. But due to her sensitive fairy hearing, Maleficent had heard what he said loud and clear. She simply nodded.

Ben gestured to Fairy Godmother to transport them. With a nod, she waved her wand once more. Blue mist surrounded the group. When it cleared, they were back in the hospital. Maleficent was the first to move as she headed to stand next to her daughter. The others held back, allowing the mother a reunion with her daughter. They were a little unsure of what to do with themselves.

"Mal, baby," She said softly. She kept her hands at her side. She would have place a hand on Mal's arm in comfort, but that wasn't an option due to the shackles.

"Mother?" Mal croaked out as she opened her eyes just a little. She choked down a scream. "You're no longer a reptile."

Maleficent smiled. "No, baby, I'm not. I'm here to help you, okay?" Mal nodded as her eyes drooped. They were starting to close again. "No, Mal. I need you to stay awake for me. You have to be strong, baby. You have to get through this. You'll be upsetting a lot of people if you leave now." Maleficent stroked the top of Mal's head. She felt a small burning, but she ignored it. The adults smiled behind her. Glad that she appeared to have turned a new leaf because of her daughter. Maleficent examined the shackles closely before turning back to the group. "I need you to remove these." Maleficent held her hands up towards Fairy Godmother. She needed her magic if she had any hope of helping her daughter.

Fairy Godmother looked to her king for an answer. Ben nodded his approval. "Alright, but they go back on right after." The blue fairy waved her wand, the cuffs disappearing in a puff of blue smoke.

"Thank you." Maleficent turned back around. "Mal, sweetie, I'm going to need your help." Mal stiffly nodded as she offered her hand to her mother. Maleficent gently took it, the burning sensation was a little stronger now that she was so close to the iron. Both her and her daughter's eyes started to gleam. She placed her free hand on one of the cuffs, causing it to glow a bright green. The burning was excruciating now that she had made contact, but she pushed on for her daughter's sake. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Aurora smiling at her encouragingly. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and turned back around. The enchantment on the cuffs was strong, but she was stronger. She had to be stronger. "Everybody get down."

"What? Why?" Fairy Godmother questioned.

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "Just do it." The group did as they were told. They all crouched down close to the floor. "Mal, you're going to feel a little bit of pain, but it'll be gone soon. I promise." The glow increased. As did the pain that both Mal and Maleficent were feeling. The glow got so bright, it was blinding. Mal let out a loud scream as Maleficent grimaced. The pain wasn't as bad compared to how she felt when she had realized that Stephen had betrayed her. A broken heart and the added pain of having one's wings sawed off with iron chains was much more than this, in Maleficent's opinion. There was an explosion of light, Maleficent was pushed to the ground, and Mal stopped screaming almost immediately.

Ben was the first to regain his bearings. He quickly got up off of the floor and made his way over to his girlfriend. The cuffs were gone and he let out a sigh of relief. Her arms, though, were extremely red. It looked like she had gotten a bad sunburn.

"Hey, Princess. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Where's my mother?"

Ben glanced behind him. Maleficent was slowly getting up off of the floor. "She's right behind me." Mal stiffly nodded as she let out a few hoarse coughs.

"We're not done yet," Maleficent informed as she struggled to stand. She looked exhausted. After ensuring that Leah, Audrey, and Phillip were okay, Aurora made her made over to help Maleficent. As did Belle.

"What do you mean?" Belle asked as she helped to steady the fairy.

"You said that Mal got iron in her system." Ben nodded as he rubbed Mal's hand. "We still have to get it out."

"We found some home remedies that might work," Evie offered as Maleficent shook her head.

"No, they won't be strong enough. Maybe if it was your average food poisoning. But, it's not. We're talking about fairies and magic here," Maleficent corrected.

"Okay, so if none of those will work, then what will?" Audrey asked as she held onto Jane. The poor girl was shaking slightly. Still scared of being in the same room as the woman who was once called the Mistress of All Evil and feared by all of Auradon.

"In all of my years, I have found that there is really only one thing that can help when it comes to iron poisoning, especially this severe. The cornwill flowers."

"But those are located deep in the Moors," Fairy Godmother voiced as Maleficent rolled her eyes at the blue fairy once more.

"Yes, I know that. I grew up in the Moors. Or have you already forgotten?" Belle and Ben shared a smile. As least they knew where Mal got her snarky attitude and sarcasm from. "Once we get in the Moors, I can lead you to a field that is filled with them. Then, you can use them to make a healing potion. Have Mal drink that, and voila, she should be back to normal in a few days' time."

"Okay, then. Let's head to the Moors." Ben said as he backed away from a sleeping Mal.

"It's better if we travel in a small group. The Moors may not be dangerous, but it's big and you can easily get lost or distracted. A small group will be easier to keep track of. Besides, some should stay here with Mal," Maleficent stated as she watched her daughter.

Fairy Godmother, as promised, place the handcuffs back on Maleficent as a small precaution. She didn't object.

The large group took a few minutes to figure out who was staying and who was going. Belle, already knowing that she would remain by Mal's side, took the opportunity to talk to Maleficent.

"Hey," Belle called softly as she stood next to the fairy. Maleficent responded with a simple nod of her head as she watched the woman intently. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Maleficent cocked her head to the side out of curiosity. She hadn't done anything to warrant this action of gratitude.

"For raising Mal."

Maleficent let out a sharp breath as she looked over at her daughter. "I didn't raise her. Not really."

"She wouldn't be the strong, spunky young woman she is today if it weren't for you."

"Does Mal ever talk about what her life was like before Auradon?" Maleficent asked, not changing her line of sight. Although, she already knew what the answer would be.

"Not really, no," Belle admitted quietly.

"Well, I can tell you that I wasn't a good mother. I know I wasn't. I let my anger, hatred, and heartbreak get in the way of what truly mattered. I was hardly ever around, and when I was, it never ended very well. I had accepted the fact that I wasn't leaving the Isle, so I tried to train Mal to be just like me. So she could grow up and get the revenge that I always wanted. Obviously, that plan backfired tremendously. She was never like me, and deep down, I was glad. But, the majority of me knew that those who had wronged me would never pay, so I was constantly disappointed in her. Hoping she would do better. Be more evil. That never happened. I told her once that I named her Maleficent, but she had to be evil enough to earn her full name. That was a lie I came up with to try to motivate her. Her real name is Malaya, it means free. Because that's what I wanted for her: freedom." There were a few minutes of silence as Belle absorbed the new information.

"Well, I think Malaya is a lovely name."

"I should really be thanking you. You took care of Mal when I didn't. You were there for her when I wasn't. It's because of you and your family that she is so happy." Maleficent let out a small chuckle.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Who would have thought that the day would come where the Mistress of All Evil would be thanking the former 'Poster Queen of Goodness'?" The two shared a small laugh together as Adam looked on from the side. Glad that his wife was making peace with the woman that was one considered to be their greatest enemy. Aurora watched as well. She was happy that people were finally seeing the side of Maleficent that she had grown up with and known all of her life. The _real_ Maleficent.

"You know, that'll be Mal soon. I would bet anything that our kids will end up getting married," Belle joked as Maleficent's red lips formed an amused smile.

"Oh! I know! Hopefully, I'll be there to see it all unfold."

"I have a feeling that you will be." The two mothers shared a smile as they looked lovingly towards their families. Belle a little more lovingly than Maleficent. After all, she was still getting back on the saddle of this whole love thing after being bucked off a few times. "You know, for a Mistress of All Evil, you aren't as bad as I thought you would be."

Maleficent chuckled. "And for a Queen of Goodness, you are a lot more tolerable than I imagined."

After a few solid minutes, Belle, Adam, Phillip, Leah, Jane, Carlos, Aziz, and Lonnie had volunteered to stay back. Phillip and Leah had to go take care of some things regarding Stephen. Aziz had to go visit his parents. Belle, Adam, Jane, and Carlos would stay with Mal. Lonnie was disappointed that she wouldn't be going with her boyfriend and their friends on the adventure of a lifetime, but she agreed to take care of Dude for Carlos.

That meant that Ben, Audrey, Jay, Evie, Doug, and Fairy Godmother were going with Maleficent.

"Well, this has been… fun, but we should really get going now," Maleficent chimed as the group was making their final goodbyes.

"Of course. We wouldn't want to keep you," Belle replied as the two shared a smile that no one but Adam and Aurora could understand.

"Fairy Godmother, do you mind?" Ben questioned after giving his mother one last hug.

"No, I don't. But, I can only get us to the edge of the Moors, as I've never been inside myself. So, I can't take us directly to the meadow."

The group nodded their understanding. Fairy Godmother raised her wand, about to transport the group, when she was interrupted.

"Wait!" Leah called out as she took a step forward. Aurora gave her mother an encouraging nod. "I just wanted to apologize to you, Maleficent. I had no idea that Stephen had done such horrible things to you and I certainly hadn't known that you were pregnant when you were sent to the Isle. He always told me that you were an evil witch who liked to torture people for no good reason. But, now I can see that he was wrong. I hope you can forgive me."

Maleficent watched the older woman as everyone watched her. She took a deep breath before she said anything. "I have learned that there is no real point in holding grudges. I can see that it wasn't your fault. And I can see how betrayed you are. I've been there. It's not a nice feeling. So, I forgive you." Leah smiled at the fairy before she moved back to join the others once again.

"Okay, _now_ we can go," Ben said.

With another flick of her wrist, Fairy Godmother wrapped their, now smaller, group in blue smoke and transported them to the Moors.

* * *

 **Hello guys and gals! I hoped you liked that. Sorry it took a little while. I've just been chilling. Anyways, I hope Maleficent didn't disappoint you. I wanted her to be... soft and caring. Seeing as Mal has been teaching her to love for like two years now. Anyway, let me know what you think. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or if just wanna talk you can PM me or leave a review. Though, I usually respond to PM's a little faster. Thanks to everyone who followed, reviewed, or favorited. Thanks for simply reading. Til next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So sorry for the long wait. School has kept me busy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

As Audrey looked around, she recognized the place as being the edge of her family's kingdom. She saw the large stones that separated the Sleeping Kingdom from the mysterious Moors. The stones that she grew up avoiding. It was far from the castle, which she greatly appreciated. She always feared the unknown. Knowing that this place was the origin of the most evil person in all of Auradon, had always been a great reason for her to never go near it. Although, her mother always talked about how magical the Moors were. Always talked about wanting to go back.

"Well, here we are," Fairy Godmother announced as everyone took in the sight of it all. Maleficent closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "What now?"

"First, we have to get past the tree warriors," Maleficent instructed as she opened her eyes.

"Tree warriors?" Doug voiced quietly.

"Don't worry about them, they are only there to protect the Moors from intruders. They don't bite… much."

Maleficent smirked a little as Doug gulped. She had missed pulling little pranks. They may be small and meaningless, but they were oh so much fun. After being stuck on the Isle for 16 years, it was the little things that mattered.

"Come on children, let's get moving," Fairy Godmother instructed. Audrey tore her gaze from the large fence and refocused it on the two older fairies that were in front of them.

"Keep your mouths shut and let me do all of the talking," Maleficent said as she swiftly walked towards the border. Audrey did her best to keep up. As she walked, she wondered why she had decided to come. Why she was here. She didn't really have an answer for herself. All she knew was that she _had_ to be here. For some strange reason, she _needed_ to be here. She didn't know why, exactly. But she didn't question it. She didn't have the time to question it.

"No trespassing!" Someone called out as the group arrived at the border. The tree warriors. They lowered their spears and blocked the group's entrance. "Leave at once!" Doug inhaled sharply as Jay prepared for a fight.

"Come on Balthazar. Is that anyway to treat an old friend?" Maleficent asked as she put on a pout. "I'm hurt."

The tree warriors looked her over before they moved their spears and bowed before her. She gave them a polite nod in acknowledgement.

"Welcome home, Maleficent," Balthazar greeted.

"It's nice to be back. And I see that you're just as handsome as when I left."

The tree warriors stepped aside, allowing the group to move forward.

 **** I know that Balthazar and the tree warriors don't speak English, but I don't know what language they** _ **do**_ **speak. So, English it is. ****

"Glad we're past them," Doug exhaled as the group made their way into the moors.

"Oh please, they're the least of our worries," Maleficent waved away Doug's worries as she carefully walked over tree roots and around mud puddles. Audrey wished she had had time to change her outfit. These shoes were not meant for mud.

"What could be worse than the tree warriors?" Ben asked as he followed close behind Maleficent.

"Augh!" Evie shrieked. Everyone looked back to make sure she was alright.

"Evie? What's wrong?" Doug asked as he went to stand by her.

"Something just threw mud at me. It ruined my new outfit!" She did her best to remove the dirt from her dress, but all she did was smear it.

"Waller bogs. They can be worse than tree warriors," Maleficent explained as she paused.

"How so?" Carlos asked as Jay cracked his knuckles.

"They like… to get messy."

"Augh!" Audrey squealed as mud landed on her light jeans. "This will never wash out." The Waller bogs continued to throw their mud balls at the group, smiling and laughing the whole time.

"Enough! Ooh, I said enough! How rude of you all!" Fairy Godmother chastised as she tried to hide behind a tree trunk. The Waller bogs ignored her as they continued to have their fun. Maleficent chuckled quietly to herself as she remembered something from the past. Another ball of mud hit Evie right in the face. She screeched in annoyance.

"I have had enough of you all! If you want to play dirty, fine we'll play dirty!" Evie bent down and scooped up a handful of mud herself. She threw it at the closest Waller bog. It hit the creature square in the face, causing it to fall back into the puddle of mud. The Waller bogs stopped their laughing and watched their friend, stunned. "Don't like it, do you?" The fallen Waller bog sat up with wide eyes. Its mouth agape. After a minute, it started to smile. As did the others. They all resumed their mud fighting. "Imbeciles!"

"Let's go. Before things get worse," Maleficent voiced as she started to walk away.

"Worse?! How can things possibly get worse?!" Evie called as briskly followed after Maleficent. "My outfit is ruined!"

"Oh please. Outfits can be replaced."

Evie grumbled quietly to herself as she and the rest of the group continued on.

"Okay, so where are we headed now?" Ben questioned.

Maleficent was silent as she continued walking. "We are going to the center of the Moors. That's where the meadow of cornwills is."

"How far is it?" Jay asked as he stepped nimbly around a mud puddle. He definitely had the agility of a thief. That was undeniable.

"Well, that depends on how fast you can walk," Maleficent countered, not bothering to look behind her as she spoke. She was a woman on a mission. And that mission was life or death. The life or death of her daughter.

Jay rolled his eyes at her. Maleficent was like an older version of Mal. He could barely deal with Mal's snarky attitude. Now, he had to deal with Maleficent's, and soon, both of them combined.

"I can walk quickly if I need to. So, how long?"

"The Moors are large. It should take no more than a few hours... if we hurry," Maleficent answered.

"Hours? Can't we go any faster?" Ben almost whined. He was so worried about his girlfriend, he forgot who he was talking about. Not only was she the former Mistress of All Evil, but the mother of his girlfriend. The girlfriend that he was so worried about.

Maleficent stopped dead in her tracks. Ben gulped, realizing his mistake. Fairy Godmother made sure to stand by his side. Just in case.

"Listen, _your majesty_ , I understand that you're worried. Believe me, _I do_. But whining isn't going to help her. I am trying to go at a pace that works for everyone. You should be thankful I'm even helping you. Besides, a trip to the middle of the Moors and back could take days on foot. You're asking me to do the impossible here. You're asking me to lead a couple of preppy royals through the Moors, a wild and unpredictable place, in hours. I know Evie, Jay, and Carlos can handle it, but I'm not sure about you and Audrey. I'm doing what's best for _you_ right now. So, if I were you, I would keep my mouth shut."

Ben did as he was instructed. He kept his mouth closed. He knew that Maleficent would never hurt him. Not now, at least. She was trying her best to do the right thing. To be good. He just didn't want to upset her any more than she already as. She had been through so much before. Almost losing her daughter now was only adding on to the mountain of pain that Maleficent carried around with her. He didn't want to be the one who pushed her over the edge again. He knew that Mal would never forgive him for doing that. No matter how pure his intentions were. Right now, he needed to be a silent follower. Not the leader he was used to being. He could do that. Or, at least, he could _try._

Audrey immediately noticed Ben's quiet attitude. It wasn't quite like him. Sure, he wasn't a loud and obnoxious person. But at the same time, it wasn't like him to be this quiet for this long unless something wrong. She expected it from Doug. The poor boy was Dopey's son after all. She definitely didn't expect it from Ben, especially now.

"Ben?" Audrey whispered to her friend. "Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. Why?" He seemed a little lost in his own mind. It worried Audrey just a bit.

"It's just… you're a little quiet is all."

"Yeah. I was just thinking about what Maleficent said," Ben confessed as he looked to the ground.

"Ben, don't listen to her. She's just upset and angry. It's not fair of her to take her anger towards my grandfather out on you."

"But, she's right," Ben countered. "Constantly questioning her and complaining won't make us go any faster. It won't save Mal. I know that she's doing her best in this situation. This is first time she's doing something 'good' in the last 20 years. I shouldn't get in her way."

Audrey took a moment to process Ben's words. She hadn't really thought about it like that. This was Maleficent's first time being good since being trapped on the Isle. This can't be easy for her.

"Well, just because you don't want to get in her way, doesn't mean that you have to be quieter than Doug," Audrey joked, hoping to get a smile out of him. She succeeded. Ben cracked the tiniest of smiles as he glanced in her direction.

"I'm worried about both of them," Ben confided as his smiled turned into a sad one.

Audrey sighed. "I know what you mean. They're both struggling. In different ways. I can see it in their eyes." She could. She could see all the pain that was pooled behind the Mistress of All Evil's sparkling green eyes. It wasn't obvious, but she could see it. She saw the same thing in Mal's eyes when she was struggling to fit in.

Ben only nodded.

Unbeknownst to them, Maleficent heard their whole conversation.

"Let's rest here," Maleficent called out as the group came to a halt. "There's a fresh water river over there if you need something to drink." Evie, Doug, Jay, and Carlos headed to the river. Fairy Godmother went to supervise them. Maleficent took a seat on a nearby boulder. Her emerald eyes were scanning the area. Ben and Audrey hung back. She could see the water nymphs that were gliding along the surface. They were truly exquisite creatures.

"Maybe you should talk to her."

"Wait, what?" Audrey almost yelled out. She was shocked. Yeah, she could tell that Maleficent was hurting, but that didn't meant that she wanted to talk to the woman. She might not be evil anymore, but she still instilled fear inside of Audrey. "Why can't you do it?"

"Audrey, she just yelled at me to be quiet. Something tells me that doesn't want to talk to me," Ben reasoned. "Please. Do it for me and Mal. Come on Audrey."

"Fine," Audrey reluctantly grumbled. "Just so you know, I'm only doing this for Mal. Not you." Ben flashed her a triumphant smile as he headed to join the others. Audrey scowled at his back.

She slowly made her way over to where Maleficent was sitting. Maleficent looked up as Audrey approached and continued to watch the brunette princess as she grew nearer.

"Can I help you?"

"I just… I just wanted to talk to you is all," Audrey stated as she sat next to Maleficent. She wrung her hands, trying to get them to stop shaking. Or to at least hide the fact that they were shaking.

" _You_ want to talk to _me_?" Maleficent questioned, not quite believing it.

"Well, yeah. I wanted to make sure that you were alright."

Maleficent studied Audrey for a good minute before she finally looked away. Audrey tried her best not to sigh from the relief. "I was serious, you know."

"About what?"

"About you being just like your mother. Her heart was bigger than any I had ever seen before. She must have gotten it from _her_ mother because there is no way that she got it from Stephen."

Audrey didn't know how to respond to that. How _would_ one respond to something like that? "Can I ask you something?" She settled for a question instead. A question that had been eating at her for as long as she could remember.

"Fire away. I've got nothing to hide," Maleficent allowed as she watched the rest of their group. Her head tilted slightly to the side. It reminded Audrey of how Mal would always tilt her head to the side when she was concentrating on something.

"What happened between you and my grandfather?"

Maleficent stole a glance in Audrey's direction, obviously contemplating whether this was a story that she wanted to share. That she was _ready_ to share. "It's a long story," Maleficent sighed.

"Please tell me," Audrey begged. "I can tell that you're hurting. I can see it in your eyes. I just want to understand why." She wanted to know why Maleficent was the way she was. Her family never talked about it. And neither did Mal.

"It started when Stephen and I were kids. When he was nothing more than a commoner. When he was simply a boy with no parents. When being king was only but a dream. I caught him stealing from the pool of jewels. I spared him, let him go free. We spent a lot of time together after that. We became the most unlikely of friends. Eventually…" She trailed off, looking at Audrey carefully. "Eventually we fell in love, or at least I thought we did. On my sixteenth birthday, he gave me a gift. He had told me that it was true love's kiss." Maleficent scoffed at the memory.

"As the years passed, his ambition pulled him away from me and towards the temptation of the human kingdom. And I rose to become the protector of the Moors, since I was the strongest of all the fairies. I often wondered where he was and if he was alright. I never understood why he had left. Never understood why he wanted the crown so badly. Never understood the greed or envy of men. I was young and naïve then. I was foolish." Audrey could hear the tears in her voice that she knew Maleficent would never shed. At least, not in front of her or anyone else. Much like Mal.

"What happened next?" Audrey inquired. She was so wrapped up in the story. She wanted to know more.

Maleficent exhaled. "The human kingdom and the Moors were never on good terms. They hated each other. The king, at the time, wanted the Moors and the treasures that lied within it. He attacked, but I stopped him along with Balthazar and the other tree warriors. He wanted my head after that. He didn't get it. Even on his deathbed, he wanted me gone. He promised that whichever man could kill me would be his successor and have his daughter's hand in marriage. Stephen wanted to be king so badly. Apparently, the crown was more valuable and important than the person who he had claimed to love. So, he tricked me. Told me that he was there to warn me about the people who wanted to kill me. Never told me that he was one of them. Told me to trust him. I was foolish. We talked for hours and I… I actually forgave the man." Maleficent shook her head.

"He drugged me. While I was asleep, he sawed off my wings. He could have killed me that night. He _should_ have killed me that night, but he didn't have the guts I suppose. He presented my wings to the king. In the end, he got what he wanted. He got the crown, the girl, the riches, and the kingdom. While me… I was left with pain and a hole in my heart. I felt empty after that. Nothing could fill the void that had been left. Nothing.

I grew cold. Driven by revenge. I wanted to make him pay for what he had done. I wanted him to feel the same pain that he had made feel." Maleficent's eyes narrowed before she snapped herself out of her thoughts. "The end." She added on quickly.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Audrey apologized quietly. Her head hung low. She was ashamed to even call Stephen her grandfather after that story. Now she knew why her mother hated him so much.

"Don't be. It's not like you could have done anything about it. Besides, as I told you. I was foolish. I should have known that love wasn't in the cards for me," Maleficent stated as Audrey shook her head.

"No, you weren't foolish. You were hopeful. You saw the good in him even when there wasn't any. You gave him your forgiveness when he didn't deserve it. If you ask me, it is he who is the villain. He should have been sent to the Isle, not you."

"If only everyone was like you and your mother. Then, we would have no problems."

"But life is full of pain, joy, fear, surprises, and so much more. Without all of that, it wouldn't be as interesting."

"I think Mal was right."

"Right about what?"

Maleficent turned to face Audrey. Her green eyes not as intense as they always appeared to be. Her red lips quirked into a small… smile? "Right about how you aren't just another one of those prissy pink princesses. You actually have substance. Never lose that. I hope you find someone who recognizes how special you are, Audrey."

"I believe I already have," Audrey responded as she thought of her boyfriend, Chad.

"Then hold onto that."

"She's going to be okay. I know she will," Audrey input as she turned her attention towards her friends. Ben and Carlos were helping Doug gather samples. Evie and Fairy Godmother were talking to the water nymphs.

"She's a fighter. Most fairies are," Maleficent added.

"Most?"

"Yes, most. Have you met those 3 bumbling fairies? They're no fighters. They can hardly tell their left from their right," Maleficent joked as Audrey giggled.

"They can be pretty silly."

"Why don't you go get a drink and then we'll start traveling again," Maleficent suggested as Audrey stood. She nodded before heading off to join her friends at the river. As she grew closer, she got a better look at the water nymphs. They were beautiful. They had tails like mermaids and this aura around them. It was like they were glowing.

"So, what happened?" Ben questioned as Audrey scooped up some water to drink.

Audrey sighed. She didn't really want to repeat any of her previous conversation to Ben. They were best friends and all, but it wasn't her story to tell. "Nothing much."

Ben nodded as he stood. He brushed the dirt off his pants before offering a hand to Audrey. "Come on. Let's get moving." Audrey took the offered hand to help herself up.

"Are we all ready to go?" Maleficent inquired as she stood from her previous position. Everyone in the group nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

* * *

 **Hey guys and gals! I hope that chapter was worth the wait. I am so sorry that it took so long to upload. As I said before, I've had a lot of school work.**

 **Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed. Thanks for just reading. It's greatly appreciated, but you don't have to do any of it.**

 **Anyway, I've uploaded the first chapter of 'The Lost Princess' sequel. I was planning to upload it when I finished this story, but it was taking too long, so I went ahead and uploaded it. If you've been waiting for it, I'm sorry it took so long. I didn't know that this story would drag on for this long.**

 **See you all in the next chapter. Hopefully it won't be such a long wait this time.**


	9. Chapter 9

The had been walking for hours. The sun hung low in the sky. Everyone was tired.

"I don't mean to be a nag, but the children are getting tired. Is this field close by?" Fairy Godmother inquired.

"Just a few more minutes," Maleficent replied as she slowed her pace. "The field should be up ahead."

"How do you know this will work?" Fairy Godmother sighed as she continued to trek behind Maleficent.

"Experience," was all that she got in response. Maleficent wasn't too keen on sharing anything that she deemed as too personal. Everyone got that quite quickly. They didn't really mind. They were used to it. It took Mal a little longer than the others to open up around the Auradonians. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was a lot like her mother. "I'm going to go ahead and check the place out. Stay on the path. I'll be right back." Maleficent announced after a few minutes of silence. She got murmured responses in return. As she quickened her pace, the others slowed down to catch their breath for a little bit.

"Now kids, please don't get your hopes up. We don't know if this plant is actually going to do what we need it to do. Okay?" Fairy Godmother stated before the silence could settle over them again.

"Fairy Godmother, I'm sure it'll work. Have a little faith," Audrey countered. She had said it more for Ben's sake. She knew how much he loved Mal. And she knew how much it would crush him if he ever lost her. She didn't want him to lose hope that they would save her. Because they _were_ going to save. That much she knew. And she would make sure that Mal made it out of this alive and well. Even if it was the last thing she ever did.

Fairy Godmother only nodded as a smile grew on her face. She was proud of how Audrey was handling the situation. She was incredibly strong and a good friend.

The group didn't know how long they had been walking before they saw a bright green flash ahead of them. It was soon followed by a loud rumble of thunder. It shook the very Earth that they were standing on. Audrey gripped onto Ben's arm to stop herself from falling over. When it finally stopped, nobody moved. For fear that it would happen again.

"What in Auradon was that?!" Fairy Godmother exclaimed as she glanced over the teens to make sure they were all alright. Evie shared a look with Carlos and Jay.

"Maleficent is angry," She said quietly as she stared ahead. She recognized the feeling. It was the same feeling that you felt if Maleficent ever stared you down with her glowing green eyes. It was the feeling of her power. Of her anger.

The group didn't wait much longer before running in the direction they knew she had gone.

"Maleficent?! What is going on?!" Fairy Godmother called out as they ran up a small hill. They saw her figure standing at the top. Her fists were clenched. Her shadow was menacing. Whatever she was seeing, it must have been extremely bad if it made her this upset. It scared Audrey. She had been so calm before.

Maleficent didn't respond to the question. She stood stone still. Audrey was out of breath by the time they reached the top. She was definitely not prepared for this. But she couldn't help but gasp as she laid her eyes on the scene below them. She looked over at Maleficent. She saw the snarl that was curling her lips. She heard, more than saw, the growl that was building up in her throat. She saw the look of pure hatred in her emerald green eyes. Audrey had never seen this side to Maleficent before. The side that was seen in so many stories. The side that was used to scare children when they were misbehaving. It sent shivers down her spine. Audrey saw green sparks form around Maleficent's fingers. She recognized it and quickly grabbed her hand out of reflex. Mal would do the same thing when she was overly stressed. She didn't even realize what she had done until Maleficent looked to her with shock and skepticism covering her features. Audrey didn't move though. She tightened her grasp.

"What happened here?" Ben asked as he looked over the field before him. It had been burned to a crisp. All that was left was ash.

"Mim," Maleficent stated shortly.

"Madam Mim? What makes you think she did this?" Fairy Godmother asked curiously as she too surveyed the area. The situation seemed hopeless.

"Judging by the burn patters, it definitely wasn't natural," Doug added. "I don't think a natural fire would cause this much damage either. Everything is gone."

"Mal may have told me that Mim escaped the Isle. She's the only living being that can transform into a dragon. Besides Mal. She had a grudge against me for some reason. I never knew why. Perhaps because I'm more powerful than she is. And saner," Maleficent thought out loud. "She must have destroyed the field as some sort of revenge."

"Well, how we going to fix it?" Jay asked, the determination in his voice was evident.

"There is scientifically no way to fix this," Doug stated matter-of-factly. Even though he wasn't happy about it. "If this is truly the only place where the cornwills grew, then they are all gone. No way of bringing them back. They are practically extinct."

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "Evie, this dwarf you call a boyfriend isn't as smart as you made him out to be."

"Yeah, we're working on it. Doug, we've talked about this. By now, you must admit, that not everything has a magical solution."

"But- "

"No, buts."

"Wait, you've talked to Maleficent before?" Fairy Godmother asked, referring to what the other fairy had said. Evie responded with a sheepish smile.

"I have an idea," Maleficent declared suddenly. "All may not be lost."

"Of course, all hope isn't lost," Fairy Godmother commented as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Maleficent rolled her eyes once more. "Not hope. I mean not all of the flowers may be lost."

"Oh?" Fairy Godmother said as she cocked her head to the side.

"Follow me, we have some walking to do," Maleficent announced before turning and walking back in the direction that they had gone. Har hand was still enclosed in Audrey's.

Whatever Maleficent was planning, they all hope that it would work. The former dark fairy seemed pretty confident with the change of course, so they trusted whatever she had in mind.

* * *

 **Hey guys and gals! I am so so so so sorry for the delay. School has been crazy and I haven't had much time to anything except study. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to everyone who followed or favorited, especially in my absence. Of course you don't have to do any of that if you don't want to. Thanks to everyone for simply reading. It means a lot to me. See you all in the next chapter. I hope I can get it out sooner.**


	10. Author's Apology

Hello guys and gals! I am so so so so sorry for all the waiting. I was working on the next chapters for my stories and then my computer literally died on me. It wouldn't turn back on or anything. I tried to fix it. My dad tried to fix it. My cousin tried to fix it. Nothing worked. I had to get a new computer. I lost everything that was on my old computer. And when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING. The only things that I didn't lose were anything that was saved to OneDrive or the the Cloud or linked to my iTunes account. Meaning almost all of my old chapters, except maybe one or two from a couple stories, and all of my new chapters.

And now, Microsoft Word is giving me issues, so I'm writing this on the website in the copy-n-paste section. Again, I am so so sorry. Please be patient while I try to fix these issues. I will continue all of my stories, but until I get Word working, or find an alternative, I won't be able to upload anything. Unfortunately, this is just a temporary solution.

Thank you all for being so patient. Hopefully I will be able to resolve this issue soon.

-Miss FairyTales


	11. Chapter 10

**Heads up, there's a super long Author's Note at the end of this chapter. Basically it says: Happy Thanksgiving! It explains why I haven't been active, like at all. There's my usual thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. And then there's what you can expect in the future (** **since this story is coming to an end) and other platforms that you can find me (and my work) on. Thank you, and enjoy this (terrible) chapter.**

* * *

They hadn't been walking for very long when Maleficent suddenly stopped. She glanced around, looking for something in particular.

The others were curious as to what she was looking for. They hadn't said anything since leaving the field. Maleficent was a woman, or fairy, on a mission. And none of them wanted to interrupt or distract her. They willingly followed her. She seemed to know what she was doing. And she did whatever it was with confidence.

After a minute of silence, Maleficent rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "I know you're here Mr. Chanterelle."

The short man poked his head out from behind a tree trunk. He eyed the group curiously. "Hello, Maleficent. It's been quite a while."

"Yes, it has. But we don't have time for small talk. Mr. Chanterelle, I need something from you."

He slowly stepped out from his hiding place, allowing the others to get a proper look at him.

"What is he?" Doug asked curiously.

"He's a mushroom fairy," Evie explained, having heard the stories of the magical Moors.

"You'll have to be more specific, dear. You know I'm a collector of many things."

"I need a cornwill flower."

Mr. Chanterelle seemed to think about the request. "The field was destroyed a while ago."

"I know that. But surely you have some stored away. As you said, you're a collector of many things."

He still looked skeptical.

"Please, Mr. Chanterelle. It's for my daughter." Maleficent gave him a pleading look.

After a moment, he gave her a kind smile. He had missed this Maleficent. The kind and caring fairy that he had watched grow up. "I think I may have something that will help." He motioned for the group to follow him. He led them to his house, which happened to be a large mushroom. He gestured for them to wait while he went to get whatever it was that he was talking about.

"I hope this works," Jay muttered to Carlos.

"Yeah, this is our last hope. If he doesn't have anything…" Carlos trailed off, not wanting to complete the thought. He and Jay shared a look. Being from the Isle, they never really shared their feelings. Or even acknowledged most of them. But it went without saying that the four of them, Carlos, Mal, Evie, and Jay, had been their own little family. They were the best of friends, practically siblings. They all knew that they loved each other, even if none of them would admit it. If anything, well, anything more, were to happen to Mal, they weren't sure how they would handle it.

Evie was another story. She knew exactly what would happen if she were to lose Mal, her best friend, her sister. She would be devastated. She wouldn't be able to live with herself, knowing she could have prevented it somehow. And there were still so many things that she and Mal had planned to do. Well, she planned, Mal listened and occasionally humored her. Like their weddings. Whether it would outside or inside. What time of year it would be. If it would be traditional, or have a little twist thrown in there somewhere. Where their honeymoon would be. And having kids. What their names would be. What they would look like. There was so much they still had to look forward to. And Evie couldn't, wouldn't, didn't want to do any of it without Mal, her best friend, her sister.

Mr. Chanterelle returned a minute later with a small sack in his hand. "While I don't have the actual flower that you seek, I do have the seeds."

Maleficent gave a grateful smile as he handed the pouch to her. "You have no idea how thankful I am Mr. Chanterelle."

"Just promise me a couple things."

"Anything."

"Replant the field. The Moors isn't the same without its field of cornwills."

"Of course." Maleficent toyed with the pouch. "And the second thing?"

Mr. Chanterelle gave a toothy grin. "Bring the little sprite around sometime. We'd all love to meet her."

Maleficent chuckled, mainly to herself. "Of course you would. Don't worry, I doubt I'll be able to keep her away."

"If she's anything like you when you were younger, then I doubt so as well." Mr. Chanterelle waved to the group before disappearing down a different path, carrying on with his day as if there had been no interruption.

Maleficent opened the pouch and removed one of the seeds. She placed it in her palm. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A green mist covered it, and they group watched the seed grow into a flower before their very eyes. It was a beautiful flower, nothing like anything they had ever seen before. The petals were a golden yellow with orange and pink mixed in. It seemed to be glowing, radiating its own magic.

"Is that it?" Fairy Godmother asked as she stared at the flower in the other fairy's hand.

"This is it," Maleficent assured. "We should get going. Fairy Godmother, will you do the honors?"

Fairy Godmother smiled as she pulled out her wand. "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!" The familiar blue mist surrounded them. As it disappeared, they were back at the hospital.

"How did it go? Did you find what you were looking for?" Aurora questioned as soon as she saw the group.

"It went well," Audrey told her mother as the group separated and spread throughout the room. "We got the flower."

"That's great."

"What do we do now?" Belle asked as everyone looked to Maleficent for an answer.

"Now, we need to use the flower to make a tonic."

"That sounds simple enough," Fairy Godmother voiced.

"It should be."

"Then let's get to it," Belle said with such determination that no one even thought of questioning her. She was going to do everything in her power to save Mal. No matter what.

* * *

 **Okay... a few things.**

 **First, Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers that celebrate! I hope you all had a wonderful time with your families and/or friends! I know I did.**

 **Second, you have no idea how sorry I am about the delay. I've been meaning to update all of my stories, but it's been difficult. Not only has school been absolutely** **horrible and stressful with its never ending workload, but I've also been in kind of a rut. I just had major writer's block and I was very... uninspired. The only stories I wanted to work on were the ones that I haven't posted. And I told myself that I couldn't post anything new until I finished a few of these first. I just have a lot going on. Please forgive me.**

 **Third, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story, or any of my stories. Especially in my absence. Of course you don't have to do any of that if you don't want to. Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this new chapter. I am so sorry it took so long to update. And I'm sorry that this chapter is short and terrible. Like I said, I've been stuck in a rut and I haven't been able to come up with any good ideas for my stories.**

 **And it's not just with my stories but with my art too. Y'all don't know this (and I don't know why I'm sharing this) but I love art and I want to be a costume designer. I just haven't had any time for drawing, or painting, or sewing. And it's really dampening my mood.**

 **Fourth, as you can probably tell, this story is coming to an end. I never meant for it to be this long. It was only meant to be like 9 or 10 chapters. But the more the merrier I guess. I don't plan on doing a sequel or anything. I don't even know how I would do a sequel. But I have A LOT of ideas for future stories. Not all of them Descendants related. There's Glee, The Fosters, possibly The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (an amazing show 10/10 would recommend), probably Pretty Little Liars, probably Cheaper by the Dozen, definitely Marvel/Avengers/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Or a combo of two/all three. I don't know, I'm still work shopping. Let me know if you have any requests.**

 **I do have fanfics on Wattpad and now one on Tumblr if you wanna check those out. They aren't the same as on here. I don't cross post (not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't do it) I'm very active on Tumblr (mainly liking and reposting and not so much writing) but if you want to get a hold of me, that's probably the best way to do it. My username is MissFairyTales on** **wattpad and miss-fairytales on Tumblr.**

 **Oh my goodness, that was long. Thank you so much if you made it this far. You are an actual champion. (I wouldn't have been able to get through that whole note.) I hope you stick around for more. Hopefully I'll be able to get more updates out there.**


	12. Author's Note (yes another one)

Hello guys and gals!

Okay, I just wanted to start off by saying that this is a general announcement and will be uploaded to all my in-progress stories. (also, i tend to get off topic because I love talking to you guys, so I apologize in advance. also, also, it's reaalllyyyy long because I really want you guys to know and understand what's going on. I apologize again) Now, on to the announcement...

Let me say this loud and clear: I AM NOT GIVING UP ON ANY OF MY STORIES! (on here or Wattpad, if you follow me there too)

I realize that it's been a while since I updated them, some longer than others, but I'm not giving up or discontinuing any of them. It may take a while for an update (and possibly future updates) to my stories to be released. Thank you all for your patience. It means a lot that you are all sticking with me even though I'm literally the worst ever. However, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to keep waiting.

Since we're coming to the end of the school year, I've got finals. This week is a super testing week at my school, meaning that all classes are canceled because there are AP/AICE/FSA tests all week. (AICE is a Florida program, kinda like an AP class. And the FSA is the standardized testing that everyone in Florida, from like elementary or middle school to 10th grade, has to take). So, yeah. Next week I have two more tests which I have to miss class for, and then it's business as usual until like three weeks when there's another super testing week for the finals of regular classes (not AP/AICE classes). That's the last week of school.

Between studying for my finals, studying for regular tests, homework, projects, volunteering, sleeping (which is apparently really important. who knew?), and Netflix/youtube (I know it doesn't sound important and it's honestly such a waste of my time, but I need a good amount of time to just unwind), I haven't had much time to update any of my stories. Also, I have a life. It may be incredibly small and not that exciting, but I still have it.

*Side note, Endgame ripped my heart to shreds but was amazingggggg. I was crying for like all three hours. If I wasn't crying, then I was cheering. I'm pretty sure I annoyed the guy sitting next to me. That ending literally killed me. I was sobbing (ugly crying) in the theater. And that women of Marvel scene was EVERYTHING. (I don't know if this technically a spoiler or not) if you don't know, that mystery guy at... the sad event... was the kid from Iron Man 3 (potato gun kid). Yeah. My shredded heart was ripped further into microscopic pieces. Marvel really came for me with that movie. Even though the spoiler ban that the Russo brothers had set has technically been lifted, #dontspoiltheendgame. People at my school were terrible with this once Endgame came out. Some girl even went as far as writing it on every bathroom stall. Another kid made the ending his Kahoot username, and spoiled it for everyone in his class that hadn't seen it. Someone spoiled part of the end for me and other people I know, and it seriously sucks when that happens and it is no where near funny. So be a decent human being and don't spoil things for others. Okay, mini rant over.*

On top of all that, I have been in a creative rut and my mental health hasn't been that great lately. I just need some time to focus on me and what's left of my school year so I don't end with a anything lower than a B (*cough* math *cough*). I have been writing, but nothing that I've already uploaded. And usually when I go to write, I'm either very unhappy with it, or I just read through what I already wrote and then lose the motivation to continue.

And during the summer I probably won't have that much time to write and upload either. I plan on going to a college program for a couple weeks. Also, I'll have summer assignments for my classes next year. I hope to visit my friend in Georgia. I'll probably be taking an online course (hopefully, because I need to graduate). And I still have to get my driver's license which is like six months overdue.

**Another side note, college is like just around the corner for me and it's seriously stressing me out because I don't think I'm going to get in. But everyone is telling me I'll be fine because my sister got accepted into a good college and I'm apparently smarter than her but I don't believe them? and even if i do get in, i'll be alone and away from my parents, for more than three weeks, which is the longest i've ever been separated from them, I don't know how I'll cope? So, also dealing with that and the thought that I'll never amount to anything. Fun.**

Anyway... If you see me uploading or updating a different/new story and not the one that you are following or waiting for, please don't be upset. It just means that I was inspired to work on something else and haven't gotten to the one your waiting for because I don't want to write something bad and rush to get it out. Because no one wants that.

I'm planning on uploading some Glee fan fiction because I have been super obsessed with it lately. Like, it's kind of all I've been watching and I've seen every season like ten times. Yet somehow when I watch it, i see something new (more like I forgot). But like get this, when the last season came out (I don't remember when but it was like 2 years ago) I watched everything except the last two episodes. I had no idea I hadn't watched them until recently. Anyway, off topic again. If you'd like to see Glee fan fiction, stay tuned for that.

***Yes, another one. My friend and I just started watching The 100 and it's actually pretty good, not gonna lie. But don't expect any fan fiction from me. Cuz there won't be any. Also, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists is really good. I haven't seen any of the newer episodes, but I really like it. Ava is such a queen, try to convince me otherwise, I dare you. Also, also, the new season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres this Friday and I am soooo here for it. And I can't wait until the new seasons of the Flash and Supergirl are on Netflix. And before I end this, Spider-Man Far From Home is literally going to kill me, but I'm really excited. Also excited for Descendants 3! Anyone getting Disney+ in the fall? I'm not but my friend is, so I'll definitely be over at his house more often.***

You guys have no idea how much I hate writing these apologies, but I have no choice as fan fiction isn't my main priority. It's honestly not very high up on the list. This was supposed to just be for fun and to share my stories and ideas. I never dreamed that I would get so many followers or so many people would like my stories. It's surreal.

But I can't work nonstop on these stories, please understand that. I wish I could but I do have other things going on. I will update whenever I can.

That is all I have to say. Please PM me if you want to talk, or have any questions or ideas. If you have any story requests or any thing you want to collab on (no promises) let me know as well. I may not be that active upload wise, but I should answer you within a day or so.

Love, Miss FairyTales

****That was way too long.


End file.
